


Gods And Monsters

by ToSeekTheTruth



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, Character Death, End of the World, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Expect Evil Things, F/M, Fear, Gore, Hope, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Moral Dilemmas, Not for Innocent Eyes, Original Character(s), Probably Some Humor Occasionally, Rape/Non-con Elements, Regret, Relationship(s), Survival Horror, Zombie Apocalypse, questionable morals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-05-13 22:51:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5719954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToSeekTheTruth/pseuds/ToSeekTheTruth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world filled with the walking dead, Katherine's only goal is to keep her daughter Elizabeth safe. Being forced to join a group of people at Howe's Hardware, she finds proof that Walkers aren't the only monsters out there. But, there is hope in the form of escape...</p>
<p>Nick / Original Character<br/>Written in the 3rd because that's how I roll. It starts before Seasons Two, if anyone cares to know and will go a different path than the game.<br/>Expect some dark things out of this story. Especially with such a dark world to begin with.<br/>Other pairings may crop up? No idea. Enjoy.</p>
<p>Title based on the song Gods And Monsters by Lana Del Rey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Safety

“Moma, I’m hungry” The words were a soft whine in her ears and Kathrine turned back and looked at her daughter. Her shoulders visibly sagged at her words. It had been over a year since this whole mess started. Kathrine wasn’t sure how she and Elizabeth were still alive. Still, the fact that her daughter was hungry troubled her. She was hungry too but that was nothing new.  
  
“Hush, baby girl” She told her. “We don’t have much food left.”  
  
They were both filthy as well and she wished they could stop to bathe in a cold stream but the days were too cold for that now. Moving north had been a mistake. She had managed to find an oversized sweater for Elizabeth but only a thin coat for herself. Searching through abandoned houses was dangerous; there was no telling what might be within.  She preferred to avoid houses in general.  
  
“But mom-!” Her voice cut off with a sharp glare from Kat. Then they both scanned the trees around them for signs of Lurkers.  
  
Elizabeth was old enough to know better. She had to be nearing eight years old, if she hadn’t reached that age already. She had been born in the early spring. Kat herself had been born in the late winter, meaning she knew her own birthday had already passed. It seemed silly that she even thought about birthdays anymore. What did birthdays matter in the hellish place the world had become?  
  
She looked back at her daughter, noting the gun that was strapped to her side. Even her daughter knew how to use a gun, her curly brown hair cut short and put up for safety.  It saddened her that her daughter was growing up in this world, but what could Kat do anymore? Eliza needed to know how to take care of herself. They had to be prepared at all times. They had both seen some horrible things in the first days. Despite her youth, Elizabeth was not shielded from the harsh truths in the world around her.  
  
They walked on, no destination in mind. She then noticed there was a clearing in the trees and soon she came across what appeared to be…a parking lot? She hesitated outside of the asphalt, where the ring of trees still offered her a little safety.  She looked at the large store that was before her, reading the sign and taking in the sight.  
  
_Howe’s Hardware_  
  
It was an old sign but the place looked fortified. There was a barrier around it, as if someone was holding it up. It had to be several someones to be truthful; the place was too large for just one person to hold. That was a scary idea. It could be dangerous. It wasn’t safe. She wasn’t going anywhere near it.  
  
Then she looked down at Elizabeth and thought about the food they had left. Kat was starving herself to make sure Elizabeth ate. She knew she was rapidly losing weight and strength. She had to stay strong to protect Eliza. She was what mattered and if they ran out of food, they were both going to die. She couldn’t stand the idea of Eliza dying, no matter what the cause. She knew she should approach the building, see if there was anyone there, if they would take in two more.  
  
She looked at Elizabeth who was looking at the building with wide eyes. She didn’t seem to be thinking of the pros and cons like Kat was. That was Kathrine’s job as her mother though. She had to protect her. She had to protect both of them. She took Eliza’s hand in her own.  
  
“What do you think, baby girl?” She asked her. “Should we go or should we stay away?”  
  
The young girl was looking at the store with suspicion when she heard something behind them. Kat grabbed her hand gun, turning towards the noise, pushing Eliza behind her. She found herself staring down the barrel of a shotgun. Her breath caught in her throat. The man behind the gun had shaggy brown hair and was dressed in what almost appeared to be a army uniform of some sort.  
  
“Who are you?” He asked.  
  
“Does it matter?” She asked him. Then she remembered the department store and began to slowly lower her gun. “Do…do you live there?” She gestured back at the department store.  
  
“What’s it to you?” He asked.  
  
“Troy, who are you talking to?” Another person asked. Another man, this one even bigger than Troy stepped from behind the trees. He had a regular handgun but those were lethal enough. She put her handgun away, knowing that with two against one, she had no hope of winning at all.  
  
“I’m just passing through. Me and my daughter are running low on food. We saw the store and thought…well it doesn’t matter. We’ll leave” She pushed, Eliza back a little, hoping the men would just let them go. It could never be so easy though. That was the thing she had quickly learned about this new world. It was never, ever easy.  
  
“Children are rare in the world” the second man said, looking around Kat, at Elizabeth. “Carver might want us to bring her back”  
  
“She’s my  _daughter_ ” Kat told him again. She didn't want them to take Elizabeth from her. It was still two against one odds though and she doubted she could take them both.   
  
“Of course she is” The big man said. “That’s why we invite you to come with us” His voice was pleasant enough but it also carried alarm for Kat. Pleasant now, but if she didn’t go with what he wanted he might get violent.    
  
“Are you sure?” Troy asked the other man. He had not quite lowered his gun yet.  
  
“We’re  _inviting_  them to come back with us” He had lowered his gun but it was clear that he would not be backing down.  So she touched Elizabeth’s shoulders.  
  
“Hear that, baby girl?” She said, trying to keep the nervousness out her voice. She didn’t know if Elizabeth heard it or not but the young girl looked up at her. “They’re inviting us to their safe house.”  
  
“And we best get moving” Troy said. “Carver will be expecting us back soon  
  
That was how she and Elizabeth ended up walking across the large, broken parking lot between the two men. They had taken her backpack, with their supplies within it, and their guns. They were at the mercy of these two men. She clasped Elizabeth’s hand in her own, trying not to shake. Elizabeth didn’t seem scared but she was only about eight years old. Kat could only hope that she didn't truly understand what was going on.  
  
They soon came to the store and a gate swung inward for them. She looked at the men manning it. One of them was a brunette, she assumed around her own age. The second man was much older, with short cropped hair with a dark beard. They didn’t look happy to be opening the gate. Kat noticed the guns strapped to their backs. These men were guards, just like the two men who had found her and Elizabeth.  
  
“Pete, Luke, close the gates” Snapped Troy, as they hurried past.  
  
They entered the store and Kat was surprised to see the amount of people within. There were hordes of them or at least it seemed like it. She was given no time to gawk as Troy and the other man shoved her forward, towards a flight of stairs. A short hallway later and she was  brought up to what she assumed had once been the main office. There a man with dark, combed back hair and a mustache was sitting in front of a desk. He was handsome in a traditional sort of way she supposed.  He looked up when the door closed behind them. The man inspected them with harsh eyes and Kat found herself fidgeting under his gaze.  
  
The bigger guy moved around her and went to stand before the desk. “We found these two on the far side of the parking lot” He told him. “We figured we’d bring them in. Let you see them”  
  
“Thank you Michael.” The man said, his voice deep and gruff. “My name is William Carver. I’d like to welcome you to our home”  
  
“Th…thank you.” She looked around the room.  She noted that to the far side of the room was a chair, all alone. It gave her the chills just to look at it. When she looked at William Carver once more, he was smiling in an amused way.  
  
“We welcome anyone who would like to join our family.” He stood and held out his hand to her, though he didn’t come from behind his desk. She had to walk a few steps forward to take his hand. He had a firm grip and she pulled her hand away as soon as she could.  
  
There was a knock on the door and, before William could say anything, the door opened.  In stepped a dark-skinned woman with bushy hair, clutching a stack of papers to her chest.  
  
“Oh, sorry Bill…I-I didn’t know you…” She started to stutter, looking down.  
  
“It’s okay, Rebecca. Come in, come in and meet the two newest members of our wonderful little home.” The woman, Rebecca came in, smiling in an almost nervous way.  
  
“My name is Kathrine and this is Elizabeth” Kat held her hand out to the other woman who took it with her free hand.  
  
“Well, I’m Rebecca…Oh! Bill! I came up to do an announcement but I can do it later…”  
  
“How about you show these two to the place they can sleep for their first few days?” Bill suggested. He turned to Kat and crossed his arms across his chest. “Due to  _some_  people out there not handling the end of the world well, we keep the new people separate from everyone else for a few days. . Prove you want to really be a part of our family and you will be.” He flicked his eyes to Rebecca. “Rebecca give them the usual treatment. Please.”  
  
Then he sat back down and seemed to busy himself with something else. Rebecca motioned for Kat and Eliza to follow her. Kat took Elizabeth’s hand and the two followed the other woman out of the room. They walked back down the stairs and past the other residents of the hardware store. Some waved to Rebecca as they past and some even smiled at Kat and Elizabeth.  
  
“Don’t worry, its cold so we won’t put you outside or anything. There’s an old employee break room we converted into a sort of area for new people.” Rebecca explained as they walked. She didn’t seem in a particular hurry but her strides were long and Kat had to pull Elizabeth along to keep up. She seemed to be gazing around in wonder. She had not seen so many people since before the world went to hell.  
  
“Well that’s good. I don’t want Elizabeth to get sick.”  
  
“Even if she did, we actually have a doctor here” Rebecca smiled. “He was actually one of the first ones here. Along with me and my husband and couple other people. You will have to see him before we allow you to stay.”  
  
“Is that where we’re going?” She asked.  
  
“Yes. He’s a gentle and kind man. He has a daughter as well.” She smiled at Kat as if that had to be the most reassuring fact about the man.  
  
 They were quiet the rest of the walk to the doctor’s office. She saw it seemed to be some sort of small room converted into a doctor’s office. There were medical supplies on a table and three beds with curtains strung up between on the far side. The curtains were all open, so at least no one else was in there. The man sat at a desk, writing intently in a notebook. He motioned for them to wait one moment without even turning to look at them. Rebecca sighed impatiently and crossed her arms but said nothing.  
  
It gave Kat a moment to look at him. He had dark skin and dark hair and a rough beard upon his face. He was so intent on his work and for a moment, Kat almost suggested that they leave and let him be. They could come back in the morning. He turned in his chair and spied Rebecca his face souring just a little but his eyes went to Kat and then Elizabeth.  
  
“Newcomers?” He asked, his voice was lightly accented.  
  
“Yes, just brought in today” Rebecca replied. “The lights are going to start going out soon, so you should probably hurry with their physicals”  
  
The man gave her a look but stood with a sigh. “My name is Carlos.” He held out his hand for Kat to shake and she shook it, noting his hands were gentle but his shake was firm.|  
  
“My name is Katherine.” Once he had shaken her hand he offered his hand to Elizabeth who grinned. Kathrine had to like that he was treating her like her own person. Clearly, he knew a thing or two about children at least.  
  
“I’m Elizabeth!”  
  
“Good to meet both of you. I’m going to run through some questions with you both. If you could be honest with me, it would be appreciated. Then I’m going to listen to your heartbeat and take your blood pressure. Just to make sure you’re as healthy as possible with my limited supplies.” He turned back to his notebook, flipping to a different page. Kat took note of how he wrote their names upon the top of the page. “Take a seat ladies”  
  
They both sat down on a couch which was pushed up against the wall. Carlos glanced up at Rebecca who rolled her eyes and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her. She seemed annoyed but Kat was thankful that Carlos had shooed her. It wasn’t any of her business what he’d be asking them or their answers.  
  
“Alright, do any of you have any outstanding medical conditions that would need treatment; diabetes, asthma, things of that nature?”  
  
“No.” Kat answered for both of them. “Not that we’re aware of at least”  
  
The questions went on that way, he sometimes asked questions only of Kat and sometimes only of Elizabeth. She really liked how he talked to both of them, serious and yet calm. He seemed like a good person, though Kat wasn’t going to judge him by one interaction.  
  
Just as he was finishing up, the lights suddenly switched off. Carlos let out a gentle curse and she heard him moving about. There was a flicker and she saw he was holding a lighter, the flame casting a dark shadow on the wall behind him. He turned to light a few candles on the desk, as the door opened and Rebecca entered from the pitch black hallway.  
  
“It’s lights out. I’ll take them to the room they’ll be in. If you need anything else from them, you’ll have to get it in the morning.”  
  
“No, no, we had just finished. I’ll give Carver the report tomorrow. Let him know if you see him, okay?” Carlos closed the notebook, as if Rebecca could have seen from the door in the dim room. He took a candle and gave it to Rebecca, the flame slowly swaying as it moved.  
  
“Follow me.” Rebecca ordered and Kat stood, Elizabeth following behind her. They exited the small office and began walking down the hall. They went up another set of steps and down another hall. She stopped outside a closed door and reached into her pocket, extracting a key.  
  
“You keep it locked?"  
  
“Bill wants us to. It’s for safety, he says” She unlocked the door and opened it, stepping back. She motioned for them to enter. Elizabeth hesitated.  
  
“It’s dark in there"  
  
“I’m going to light a candle in there for you” Rebecca assured her. Elizabeth looked up at her and then at her mother. Kat gave the small of her back a gentle push and headed into the pitch black room first, her hands out in front of her to keep her from running into anything.  
  
Rebecca followed with the candle but it didn’t light the room more than a small halo around Rebecca. There was a table with some plastic chairs sitting slightly to the left of the door. On it were three candles. Rebecca used hers to light all three of them, creating a dim glow within the room. With the light of the candles, she could see that there were what appeared to be sleeping bags place on the floor on the other side of the table. Directly in front of them was a counter top with a cabinet above. There was a sink in one of counters, but Kat doubted it worked. The room was clearly an old employee break room, but it wasn’t a bad thing. The room was warm and the floor didn’t look too awful to sleep on.  
  
“Someone will come for you at dawn to bring you down to breakfast.” Rebecca told him.  
  
“Thank you” Rebecca smiled and walked out of the room, closing and locking the door behind her. Kat looked down at Elizabeth who was looking around at the shadows on the wall nervously. “What do you think so far, baby girl?” She asked her daughter.  
  
“I don’t like this room, it’s too dark”  
  
“It’ll be better in the morning” She assured her, sitting down on the one bedroll. Elizabeth curled up in her lap and she held her daughter close. They lay down next to each other, as they had before in safer times. Kat didn’t feel completely safe here, but it was safe enough that she might sleep. She had become a light sleeper in the last few months. The slightest sound would have her up, not that she had her gun anymore…  
  
Despite her fears, Elizabeth seemed to fall asleep quickly and though Kat temporarily fought sleep, it wasn’t long before she drifted off as well.

* * *

 

  
“My name is George and this is my good buddy, Alvin” The man who had woken them seemed the cheerful, kind sort. He was a tall man with kind eyes and dark eyebrows. His hair was streaked with grey, but he had a nice smile. “I’m just going to ask you two a few questions, about where you’re from and who you were with before.”  
  
“Why?” Elizabeth asked before Kat had a chance.  
  
“So we can find jobs you can perform well, little one” He said, directly to her. “We don’t want to put you and your momma on jobs that you can’t perform. That wouldn’t be fair to anyone.”  
  
“Why do we have to work?” She asked next.  
  
“It’s only fair” Kat answered before he could. She understood that if they didn’t work, they wouldn’t eat. It only made sense in a group this large. A lot of mouths to feed, a lot of work to be done and there was surely no time for slackers or others who made their already hard lives harder.  
  
“Your mom is right. Everyone here has to pull their own weight. Its how we’ve survived this long” Alvin nodded in agreement with George’s words. He pulled his glasses off his face to clean them before shoving them back onto his nose.  
  
“Finding work for the two of you shouldn’t be hard though. Usually the kids are in the kitchen. There are two other kids, probably around your age” He told them.  
  
“The kitchen?” Kat asked, worry furrowing her brow.  
  
“Cooking meals and cleaning up after them. They also serve meals and such.  There are other jobs we have the younger groups do, but it all depends on what they did in the groups before this one. We’re all about using everyone’s strengths to aid the community.”  
  
“Elizabeth didn’t do much. In the one group she helped tend to the animals…” Kat tried to think of the other things that Elizabeth might of helped with. They had been with so many different groups since the First Days that she couldn’t really remember. She knew that Elizabeth had helped with some things but exactly what those things were she couldn’t recall.  
  
“I fed the animals and I helped clean any dishes. I sometimes helped Amelia cook but…We left soon after”  
  
“We don’t have any animals” George said to Elizabeth “But we could make good use of your other skills” He promised. His eyes turned to Kat. “What about you?”  
  
“I helped guard and reinforce the places we were staying”  
  
“You say ‘places’. Did your group move a lot?” George asked, curious. Kat knew that it was something he would probably take back to Carver.  
  
“No. We’ve been with a couple different groups since the First Days” She figured it was best to be honest. What was there to lie about really? George nodded, as if he expected this answer.  
  
“Sometimes its hard to find something that works.” He nodded as he said that and she saw Alvin nod as well. It was sometimes hard to remember that it wasn’t just her and Elizabeth trying to survive; everyone was.  
  
“Well you got very lucky here.” George said. Kat noted that Alvin didn’t exactly look like he agreed with George. Was this place not as perfect as it seemed? That wasn’t exactly surprising. Nothing was usually as good as it seemed. “Anyway, its about time for breakfast. Why don’t get down there?”  
  
They all stood from their respective chairs and George and Alvin escorted Kat and Elizabeth to the cafeteria. They both had a lot to say about the place and they greeted others as they walked by them. George explained that they were the third and final group eating. Guards who would be on the morning and day shift ate first, then guards and workers who had worked overnight ate and finally anyone else who would be working that day ate. It meant there was always someone to guard the place, always someone to do little tasks that Carver needed done.  
  
“It isn’t just Carver who runs this place though” Alvin explained as they walked. “Luke has just as much of a hand in making this place run as Carver does. He does a lot of good work and helped clear the place out to begin with. For a kid, he’s got a lot of guts”  
  
“Yeah, but he and Carver aren’t always on the same page.” George grumbled. “Luke is a little too young to be leading a group this big. What did he do in college? Arts or something? Carver helped run a company.”  
  
“Luke still has good ideas” Alvin didn’t seem to want to argue but it was clear they didn’t agree on this issue.  
  
Kat didn’t say anything, but she did glance at Elizabeth who was watching the route they were taking. She was pretty observant and sometimes Kat was pretty thankful for that. Hopefully she’d notice things that Kat herself missed.  
  
They entered the cafeteria and Kat saw it wasn’t exactly crowded but there was a decent amount of people. She saw Carlos and a young girl who had to be his daughter sitting next to him. Alvin and George showed her where to get her food, a soupy oatmeal and a cup of peaches, and then told her to sit where they felt comfortable. Alvin went to sit with Rebecca and George followed him. Rebecca didn’t have any food but when Alvin joined her the two shared a brief kiss. Kat didn’t want to bother them and she saw Carlos waving her over. She and Elizabeth walked over and suddenly she felt timid. Carlos was sitting with a few other people, all friendly looking, but still…  
  
“Sit down Katherine” He invited. She and Elizabeth sat down across from him, next to a woman who looked to be in her early forties. She had dark hair, just long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail. She had kind brown eyes and a gentle smile. “Katherine, Elizabeth, this is my daughter Sarah” He said, pointing to the young girl beside him.  
  
Kathrine had to guess she was a teenager. She looked very much like her father with her dark hair and complexion. She was wearing purple glasses and beamed at the two of them.  
  
“Hi, I’m Sarah. I help cook sometimes and other times I have to clean. I don’t like the cleaning so much, but dad says I have to do something..”  
  
“Sarah…please.” Carlos chided at her gentle and she looked up at her father with a frown. Carlos turned back to Kat and Elizabeth, motioning to the others at the table. “This is Pete and his sister Linda.” Linda was the woman Kat was sitting next to and Pete was on the other side of him. He was the man who had opened the gate for her the day before. Pete just nodded and focused on eating, Linda gave a soft wave.  
  
“It’s good to meet you two” She said simply. “Don’t mind my brother. He’s usually on guard duty but today he got stuck on construction and he’s not happy.”  
  
“I’m not annoyed about that and you know it Linda” Pete gruffed. Linda rolled her eyes at him but smiled at Kat and Elizabeth.  
  
“It’s so nice to have another family in here. So few people are found with their families anymore. Usually everyone is separated though we’ve managed to reunite a few people.” She glanced at her brother. “We got separated, my son and I, from my brother. We all found our way here though”  
  
“We didn’t get separated so much as we got overwhelmed by Lurkers” Peter still hadn’t really looked up from his food.  
  
“Did you kill a lot of them?” Elizabeth asked. Peter nodded. “I killed one…once. It was scary”  
  
Pete finally looked up at her, as if seeing how old she was for the first time. “Well your mum’s done something right then. Everyone needs to know how to defend themselves” He gave a pointed look to Carlos and Kat saw the bitter frown on Carlos’ face. He opened his mouth to say something when two more people joined them, two young men.  
  
One was the other who had opened the gate the day before and the second one was a young man with dark hair hidden under a baseball cap. He had blue eyes and a strong build. The first one sat on the other side of Elizabeth and his dark-haired friend next to him.  
  
“Luke, Nick, you’re late” Linda said with a slightly bitter tone.  
  
“Sorry, ma’am” Luke replied with half a smirk.  
  
“I hope you two weren’t off causing trouble” Carlos warned.  
  
“Us?” Nick gave a small chuckle. “Never”  
  
“No, really, I just had to talk to Carver about all these barricades he’s constructing. They won’t hold if a large horde hits us and…” He suddenly seemed to noticed Elizabeth and Kat. “Oh. Hey. You’re the new people.”  
  
“I’m Katherine and this is my daughter Elizabeth” Kat gave him an amused smile.  
  
“Uh, well….I’m Luke and this is Nick”  
  
“Nick is my boy” Linda said proudly. “A bit of a troublesome boy, but he’s mine all the same” She puffed up like a proud mother would.  
  
“Mom…” Nick groaned, rolling his eyes. It was all in good nature Kat could see. She gave a light chuckle.  
  
“A mother’s pride can never be dampened.” She warned him. He looked over at her, a smile on his lips.  
  
“Don’t I know that?” A sigh passed his lips and his mother laughed.  
  
She looked at these people and saw a happy family. She never thought she’d see that in the Hell that the world had become and yet here it was. She remembered Alvin and George’s conversation and then she looked again at the smiles on the faces of the people in front of her. Perhaps she was judging this place a little harshly. It couldn’t be so bad with such happiness right before her, could it?  
  
She supposed she would have to wait and see.


	2. True Colors

“Careful!” Snapped Troy as Kathrine moved away from the planks just in time to avoid being hit. “Are you stupid? If you see something is unsteady, get the hell away from it!” His glare was bitter. She frowned at him and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Sorry. I thought I had it” She said simply.

She had been put on internal construction, though there were still guards since the noise attracted Lurkers. Troy was the one standing closest to her, but a young man named Vince was standing not too far away. A few other workers were scattered along the wall they were constructing. The outside was done and the internal wall was just a precaution. 

The air had a biting chill in it, but warm weather was well on its way. Spring was around the corner and soon the countryside would be awash with newly blossomed flowers and green trees. Carver and Luke had been talking to some people about trying to get some sort of greenhouses together on the roof to help with food. If they could grow food up there, they’d never have to worry about food and about taking in new people.

It had been a month since Kat and Eliza had come to the group and they were already sleeping with the other women and the few children there were. No newcomers had joined since them. She wondered if they were having trouble supporting their current numbers. There was a lot of food, but such a large group eating two times a day would wear down on the food supply quick enough. They needed to replenish, somehow.

She pushed her mind away from that thought as she held a large plank up so another person could hammer it quickly into place. She could hear the groan of the Lurkers on the other side of the second wall. Their fingers could brush against this wall and that was a little dangerous after all. Twice people had been snagged while working. Luckily they Lurkers couldn’t pull them much closer than they already were and nowhere close to their mouths. 

The hammering made Kat’s teeth slam together in an uncomfortable way but she didn’t back from the board, knowing Troy was breathing down her neck. When the board was secure, she stepped back, grabbed the next and repeated the process. It made for a long day. They worked in eight or so hour shifts, with four water breaks scattered throughout the day. 

At least that was something that they had plenty of – water. There were rain catchers on the roof that had caught snow and rain alike to supply the facility with more water than they needed. That was a good thing though. It allowed them to wash themselves every other day, among other things.

Finally though, the wall was finished. They all stood back to admire their work and Vince inspected it. He nodded his approval and turned back to them. “Go relax guys. You earned it.”

“Isn’t there another place Carver would want us working?” Asked another woman with short blonde hair.

“Don’t worry about it. I said you could relax. Go ahead” And he waved his hand, dismissing them. They wandered off, all going their separate ways. Some were probably going to catch a nap, others to help out where they could. Kat began walking to find her daughter who was helping load gun magazines that day. 

She was in no hurry, knowing she would be drafted to help with the monotonous job. She watched others hurry past her, most with guns but a few without. Only those Carver and Luke trusted the most were allowed guns. Kat noticed more people armed by Carver than by Luke. Luke was a swell guy, but it seemed more were following Carver’s lead rather than his. 

“What the hell do you mean there was a breach?” Snapped a voice. Kat stopped and noticed a barely open door. “Weren’t you supposed to be guarding that section? Making sure there wasn’t breach? Wasn’t that your very job?” 

Against her better instinct she inched closer to the door and peeked inside, seeing that it was Carver yelling at a young man who Luke had armed. He was a skinny youth, probably only in his early twenties. He wore a baseball cap with a minor league baseball team embroidered on the front. He was shifting nervously in front of Carver.

“I-I-I…I tried…I was watching. I l-looked away, just…you know, just for a moment. I wanted a-a drink. Just a drink and th-then two got in. I shot them. I mean…I mean someone got scratched b-but no bites. None…None of that. So, you know, everyone…everyone is okay, right? Everyone is good, right?”

“You let two Lurkers breach the walls so you could have a drink?” This, in particular, seemed to enrage Carver. His face was red and he looked as though he might strike the boy. Kat couldn’t stand by any longer. The door slammed open and she marched into the room.

“It was an honest mistake. I don’t think he deserves this”

“You have work to do. Leave. Now” Carver’s voice was clipped with her. He barely even glanced at her before focusing on the boy again. The boy physically flinched away from Carver, as he opened his mouth to shout at him some more.

“Do you treat every mistake like this, Carver?” The man rounded on her, his angry eyes focused on her in an instant. The boy glanced at her, his eyes wide and thankful. She pressed her lips together, looking at Carver, willing herself to not back down.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. This boy allowed two Lurkers into the building. Had they not been killed-”

“But they were! Right away! Nobody got hurt or nothing!” The boy insisted.

“Then why are two of my workers being treated for injuries, right now?” Carver snarled at the boy. He balked, his face turning chalky white. Carver looked at Kat again, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t get involved in matters you know nothing about” And then he turned and stalked off. The boy slowly sank to the ground after the door closed, clutching his gun.

Kat slowly walked up to him and knelt in front of him. “Are you okay?” He nodded his head vigorously, his lips pressed together and his face still a little chalky. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Benny…uh…Benjamin.” He said, in a soft voice. 

“My name is Kathrine.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

“Oh, I uh…you’re that new lady. With the kid” He seemed to realize that sounded a little rude so he began stuttering trying to fix what he had said. 

“It’s okay. It’s true. I’ve only been here a month and I do have a daughter.” She assured him. She stood and he did too. He was shorter than her and from the look of his face, she had to say he was young, even younger than she first thought. “How old are you, Benny?”

“Seventeen. But I’m the oldest of my brothers! Or…I-I was…” His grip on the gun shifted and he turned his eyes down. “Anyway, thank you for….uh…for standing up for me, ma’am. It was awful kind of you. I should probably get back to work now before…Bill comes back.” The look on his face was filled with terror at the thought. He thanked her again, once more, before hurrying off to do his job.

Kat watched him go, thinking of the way Carver lashed out at him. It seemed wrong…to be so cruel. She thought that he might of even hit Benny had she not come along and interfered. The thought worried her. She wondered if she should speak to Luke about it…

And then she hurried out of the room, on her way to find him. It didn’t take her long. She found him talking with Rebecca and Nick. Rebecca did not look pleased but when she spotted Kat, she at least forced a smile on her face. Luke took one look at her face and his own expression soured.

“What’s up, Kat?” He asked.

“I need to speak with you, Luke” And then she explained what she had seen. She saw Nick’s expression sour as she talked as well. By the time she had finished, she could see the worry in both Luck and Nick’s faces. Rebecca just seemed annoyed.

“Did you try talking to Bill about it? After he calmed?” She asked.

“Kind of hard since I’m sure he’s still pissed about it” Kat replied. “Either way, it wasn’t right for him to lash out at Benny, no matter what he did. Like, unless he killed someone. He was grilling him like a detective. He looked like he was going to hit him. It wasn’t right”

“No, it wasn’t. Benny is a good kid. He’s got good aim and he’s kind to most everyone. I trust him.”

“But he let those…those things in here!” Rebecca piped up, her hands on his hips. “He should have been paying more attention. Alls it takes is two or three and they could wipe this place out.”

“But he killed them right away!” Kat snapped at her.

“Bill was right! He shouldn’t have let them in at all!” Rebecca snapped back. Her face wrinkled and she shook her head at them. “You all think Bill likes yelling at people? He doesn’t. He’s stressed. It takes a lot of work to run this place day in and day out. He’s trying his hardest. You can’t blame him for expecting the same out of everyone else” And with that Rebecca walked off.

Kat tried not take her words the wrong way, but she couldn’t help it. Maybe Carver was trying, but screaming at a kid who was clearly terrified was not the way to win favor. She looked at Luke and Nick. Luke sighed.

“Sorry about her…She…She owes Bill, you know? He saved her life.” Luke explained. Kat crossed her arms.

“There’s no excuse for defending him when he basically made Benny feel like dirt. There is no reason to make anyone feel like shit with the way the world is now” She shook her head, then pushed a few strands of her curly red hair back from her face. Her hair was getting long now, she would have to cut it again soon. 

“Don’t worry about it, Kat” Nick said simply. “Me and Luke will take care of it”

“You two seem attached at the hip. You know each other before?” She found herself asking, without really thinking. “I mean…that’s pretty personal though…”

Nick laughed gently. “Nah, it’s okay. Me and Luke have been best friends since we were young. Grew up near each other, causing enough havoc to make both our moms want to pull their hair out.”

“We even went to the same college” Luke said, a smile on his face. It slowly started to fade. “I mean, things may not be the same with the world but…Its nice to know Nicks got my back”

“Its good to have friends…My one friend, Amber, was with me in the first group but…we got overrun. It was such a big group…I got separated from her and I have no idea…” She shrugged, a frown tugging at her lips.

“We heard a lot of stories like that.” Nick said, a frown creasing his face. “Mom and I got separated from Uncle Pete. We thought he was dead and when we got here, we found out he thought we were” He shrugged. “We all got here okay then”

“What about you, Luke?” Kat asked. “Were you with Nick?”

“No, I had already found my way here. Carver and I had cleaned the place out and were beginning to make a home of the place. It still isn’t much, but…well, I thought this place was the beginning of something good.” He sounded so unsure at the moment, as he looked around as if questioning everything he had done up until that point. He suddenly focused on Kat again. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about our problems to you. You’ve barely been here a month, you don’t want to deal with this shit.”

“You’re right” She said stiffly, “I don’t want to deal with it, but its commonplace in the world now. I’m already a part of it, I’m already dealing with it.”

“It a shame” Nick inputted.

“It is a shame” She echoed. She bobbed her head and then shook it, “I should let you two to your work. I’m going to go check on Elizabeth.”

“Alright. Thanks for coming to tell me straight away Kat. I’ll have a talk with Carver, alright?” 

“Thank you Luke” She waved to them as she walked off, wondering just when she had gotten herself so deep in a messy place like this. She almost wished she had moved on before they had brought her here. It was more dangerous than she had cared to imagine.


	3. Pressure

Kat tried her best to avoid Carver in the days that followed, if only because she had no desire to argue with him. Rebecca would give her stiff glares from the distance, probably still miffed that she had spoken out against Carver. She had no doubt that Rebecca went and told him everything she had said to Luke and she didn’t regret it one bit. Let him know that they were watching him. Maybe he’d straighten up his act.  
  
At breakfast and dinner, she would sit by Luke and the others. She found that Linda was wonderful company and that Pete wasn’t always as gruff as he had been the first day. In fact, he was quite the gentleman and he often had a story for Elizabeth. Most of the stories he had were from Before and Kat appreciated that. Afterwards, Elizabeth would just talk about how the world would be after all the Lurkers were dead. It never failed to make Kat smile; her daughter had hope for the future.  
  
Most days though, Kat worked very hard and only saw her daughter at meal and bed time. She was working under Vince yet and found him easy to get along with. He was a stickler for the rules, but was otherwise kind. He had a firm hand for leadership and she commented on that once as they all sat on a break. Troy had walked off, perhaps to smoke – something Carver frowned upon.  
  
“I’m not really the Leader type” Vince waved his hand, waving off her comment.  
  
“Bullshit. I know for a fact you came in with a car of other people and that Bill shook your hand first. You were clearly their leader” Vince’s face flushed and he glanced at who had spoken. A man who had been here since before Vince, he had come in with the first group and he seemed to know the stories of most everyone who had come after. He was very friendly and Kat liked him, even if he supported Carver more than Luke.

“Well, they looked towards me for some stupid reason” Vince said finally.

“Probably because you were the one that had his head on straight.” Kat commented. “That’s a hard title to keep since the world went to shit” She saw a few people agreeing with her, nodding to her words.

Vince just crossed his arms and shook his head. He turned away from them, muttering about looking for Troy quick. They all left the outside, heading in at that. Better to have a building between them and walkers rather than two wooden walls. The group of them huddled around and waited, some talking among themselves. Kat stood talking to another woman who was around her own age. The woman had a sister and twin boys before the dead rose. All of them died in the first days. It was a tragic tale that was heard too often these days.

“But you know” She said to Kat “I’m almost thankful they died. My boys were only two…had they lived…they wouldn’t have known any other world. God gave them mercy by allowing them to die.” She placed a hand over her heart, as if she truly believed that. Kat just smiled, grimly and patted the woman’s shoulder. She didn’t agree with people like that. There was a future – there was no mercy in death, only hunger.

Just then over the loudspeaker came the afternoon announcements. They usually did them three times a day. One could only hear them inside the store, so that way it didn’t attract more walkers from outside. The announcements were usually done by Rebecca and they just told about the supplies, the big things going on within the building and if any large groups of walkers had been seen anywhere nearby.

But at the end of the usual came an odd request; “And Kathrine, could you report to Bill’s office? Immediately”

There was only one other Kathrine in the building and she was only twelve. So Kat grimaced and found Vince, who had heard as well. She felt like a child being called to the principal’s office. The walk to his office wasn’t so long but she took her time up the stairs, wondering what he could want. Was he finally going to snap at her for what she had said in defense of Benny? As she approached the door, she could feel her heart in her throat. Her hand shook. She was scared…but if she ran away, Bill would know that.

She knocked on the door, three quick, loud, raps. She prayed that he had gone elsewhere, that he had already forgotten about her.

The door opened and there was no such luck. He smiled and motioned her to enter the office. He closed the door behind her and moved to sit on the desk. She walked slowly further into the room, stopping a few feet from the desk. He was silent a moment, just looking at her. It was creepy and she focused on the window behind him instead. Hopefully he’d say what he wanted to and then just leave her alone soon.

“I was a little surprised when you and your daughter showed up here” He said finally. “Do you know how rare it is that a child survives out there? Do you know what it takes?”

“I think I know what it takes, since I’ve kept my little girl alive all this time” Kat replied, crossing her arms. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her. Something about it was off.

“She’s strong. You raised a strong little girl” He nodded, as if thinking about his own words. His eyes snapped back to her. “How old are you, Katherine?”

“I’m in my late twenties.” She answered honestly. There was no point in lying. She wasn’t sure exactly how old she was, she was just guessing at this point. The days all seemed to blur together. Time had no real meaning anymore. It didn’t matter how old she was.

“You’re young yet, strong. Not just of body…of will. Only the strong survive – isn’t that a common saying? But what they mean only those who want to survive will. You and that girl of yours, you survived, because you wouldn’t die. You’re strong Kat, stronger than most people. You’re something special” He stood from his desk and walked towards her. She felt like a mouse looking at an approaching snake. Frozen, scared, ready to bolt. His fingers brushed against her cheek. “We could use more strong people like you. The more, the better.”

“Then you better get looking” She growled through gritted teeth.

“Why look for them, when we could _make_ them? Think about it, a little boy just as strong as his mother and sister. He could look after this group long after we’re both gone. Wouldn’t you like to have a strong son?”

“I’m good with one kid to worry about, thanks” She took a step back. He followed her. Her heart beat was almost deafening. She realized that he intended that she not have a choice. So, she did the only rational thing she could.

She stomped on his foot and shoved him away from her. He cried out and stumbled and she turned and ran. His fingers reached for her, grabbing the edge of her jacket. She was determined to get away though. She grabbed the door handle, pulled the office door open and used the doorway to jerk herself out. Her coat ripped, leaving him with a few strands of fabric clutched in his fingers. She dashed down the steps, taking them two at a time and as she turned, to run away from the stairs, she stopped short.

At the base of the stairs were Alvin and Rebecca. They appeared to be arguing but when they caught sight of her, they stopped. She must have looked a sight, with her ripped coat and her out of breath. Alvin reached out to touch her arm, with a concerned “Are you alright?” on his lips. She jerked back and fled once more.

She figured she’d go back to the rooms. No one would be there at this time and she might get a moment to herself. To figure out what she was going to do about Carver. She avoided people as much as she could, knowing she should be back with her group, doing her work but…she was shaken. Was there anyone else that Carver had “approached”? She shuddered to think he might harass anyone else.

She managed her way back to the women’s “dorms”. They said they were the woman’s but children also slept here with their mothers. It wasn’t much of a dorm; it was just a line of mattresses with the person’s stuff kept underneath the wire frame. She didn’t bother to look around before she shut the door, assuming that she’d be alone.

“Hello?” A voice startled her and she looked up. “Kathrine?”

“Linda? What are you doing here?” She asked, surprised. They didn’t have lights in the dorms, but Linda had a candle. She approached Kat slowly, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“I could ask the same of you”

“I…I needed a moment” Her voice cracked a little. She wasn’t going to cry, but the fear was plain in her tone. Linda’s face softened and she touched Kat’s shoulder gently.

“Do you want to sit with me? Talk to me about it?”

Kat wanted to say no. She wanted to turn and leave, but she followed Linda to a cot and sat down. She told her everything had happened with Carver. By the end of it, she was hugging herself tightly, scared of what else the man might try. She could see the same fear in Linda’s eyes. It had felt so easy to tell her everything. She had such a maternal instinct. It made Kat long for her grandmother so badly that she had to glance down at her hands. How she missed her grandmother and grandfather – they were the closest to parents she had ever had.

“Well, it’s clear. You have to stay away from him, honey. Keep Elizabeth away too. I don’t think Carver would hurt her, not really. He values the future of this place too much…But he might use her to make you compliant.” Kat tensed at the thought.

“I won’t let that happen”

“I know you won’t – or you’d try. Carver has…has become…strange in the last few months. He wasn’t so bad before but now…” She brushed her hair back from her face. “Just be careful is all I’m saying. And if you have any trouble, don’t fear coming to me – or my boy. Nick will protect you.”

“Nick is kind” She said. She had talked to Nick a few times at dinner. He had proven himself intelligent and kind, though she had to wonder with some of the tales that he and Luke shared about their college days. She supposed it was their youth that led them to such silly things. When she was in college, Kat had done some silly and dumb things herself.

“I tried to raise him right….It was hard. I was a single mother. I can’t imagine it’s gotten any easier with those _things_ shambling about” She gave Kat a sympathetic smile.

“It’s not as bad as you would think. A lot of people were willing to help me knowing I had Elizabeth with me. A lot of people are very protective of children, even those that aren’t their own” It had saved Elizabeth more than once. Sometimes when Lurkers attacked, it was hard to keep track of her, no matter how Kat tried. Elizabeth had never been hurt, but there had been close calls and Kat hated to think of those.

“They’re the future of the world and I’m afraid too many died in the first days…” And it went without her saying that very few were born or lived long after. Places that were truly safe were few and far between. Besides that, to find anyone who knew a thing about childbirth or the materials needed to keep the baby and mother healthy? It wasn’t worth the risk anymore.

Kat and Linda were silent for a moment and then Linda patted her leg, standing suddenly. She was smiling again, chipper as could be. Kat stood as well, fixing her hair as she did.

“It’ll be alright. Like I said, the group of us will look out for you and Elizabeth. If Carver bothers you again, come to me or Nick or Pete. I’m sure Luke would watch out for you as well. He’s a sweet kid” She just beamed talking about Nick and Luke.

“He’s like your other son, isn’t he?”

“He and Nick caused me enough worry to make me want to pull my hair out. I remember this one time…” And she began with another story. The two of them began to walk out of the room. She put out the candle quick before they left, setting it on a table by the door. As they exited the room, she went on with her story. The two of them didn’t get far before Kat was found however. If she had been lucky, it would have been Vince who found her to take her back to her work, but instead it was Troy.

“What the hell are you doing?” He snapped at her.

“I got called to talk to Carver” She told him.

“Sure don’t look like you’re talking to him now. You still got work to do. Get your ass moving” She quickly trotted towards him and he grabbed her arm, shoving her behind him, an indication to keep it moving she supposed. He turned back to Linda. “And you, don’t you have something to do?”

“I’m going” Linda said, calmly as ever. Her face was almost scary strict. Kat had never seen her make that face. She wasn’t glaring at Troy…more like she was just letting him know she wasn’t scared of him or something. It was a chilling look and Troy made a face. He turned back to Kat and gave her a shove, reminding her that she had to get back to work.

She moved, knowing there was no way out of it. She had to do as she was told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it has been a bit between chapters. With work and everything writing and then editing chapters gets a little hectic. I'm going to try to get on a posting schedule of at least one chapter a week, probably publishing every Monday or Tuesday. I'm going to try to start that this week. I know that means I only have two days for the next chapter but I'm sure I can get it done. Also, I'll be changing some of the tags in the story, if you haven't seen to warn of implied rape and rape-y situations. I'll have to probably keep editing tags. I'm so terrible at them, I know. Anyway, thank you for the kudos and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!


	4. Responsibility

The next two weeks were like hell for Kat and Elizabeth. She told Elizabeth to never be alone with Carver. She knew it scared her, but she rather her daughter be scared than hurt. She didn’t trust him. She avoided him as well. It wasn’t hard, she hardly ever saw him in her day-to-day activities. Her paranoia was the main problem; as she feared another encounter and she feared for the safety of the other women in the building. There was something wrong with Carver, something she couldn’t understand. Maybe it was stress, but there was no excuse.

The only thing she could do is be cautious.

Besides that, Linda had told Pete, Nick and Luke what was going on, with Kat’s permission. They had promised to watch out for her. She felt a little jaded, having to ask a bunch of meh she hardly knew to look out for her and her daughter, but as long as it kept Elizabeth safe, she supposed she could swallow her pride.

It did get her spending a little bit more time with Nick and Luke. Their ages were similar and she found she enjoyed spending time with them. Elizabeth seemed to like them as well. They were both surprisingly great with her and she would talk about them for hours after. Luke even worked with some people and managed to get Kat and Elizabeth working strictly with his own people. It was nice; and she met some new faces as well. They weren’t new, as she had been, she just hadn’t had much chance to meet them before.

Reggie was one such person. He was kind and a funny. He always had a joke for her and Elizabeth. He wasn’t the best worker, but he had a lot of heart. She knew he was often in trouble with Carver for not completing his work or for helping someone else. He was too kind for his own good really. He tried hard though, he really, really did.

That day, she was working with Nick, which was nice. Luke had seen her fit to arm her again. She could only have the rifle when she was on guard duty, but it still felt nice to hold a gun in her hands again. She enjoyed the feeling of the gun in her hands; it made her feel like she was responsible for her own safety once more.

They were on patrol on the roof, watching for groups of Lurkers. There were a few on the far side of the parking lot today. They had to keep count of the Lurkers they saw, writing down things that would identify them so that others knew if any new ones roamed into the area. Herds were always an issue. Ten or even twenty were no problem for the large group they had but…Back before she had come to live here; she had heard rumors of herds of over a hundred Lurkers. A herd of that number could certainly be a threat, even to a fortified place like this.

“What are you thinking ‘bout, Kat?” Nick asked. He was holding a pair of binoculars with one hand. His rifle was strapped to his back and his other hand, was threaded through the strap, as if reassuring himself that it was there.

“Worrying over nothing” She said simply. He seemed to know when to switch subjects because he looked down at the notebook. Bonnie had been on watch before them. Her handwriting was delicate and neat, easy for them to read. She herself was a sweet woman – though Kat felt a little too trusting.

“There aren’t any new ones, at least according to Bonnie’s notes” He put the notebook back down, closing it so the pages couldn’t get damaged. She lifted her own binoculars and scanned the tree line. She had already looked over the notes countless times today and knew the ones that were out there by heart. Some wandered closer but many stayed near the trees, just far enough to not be any sort of threat.

But they could gather, they could form a group.

“Oh…” She gasped suddenly. “Nick, look there. By the waitress and the old gentleman…”

His binoculars were back on his eyes in a heartbeat. “Oh” He echoed.

It was a harsh truth, really. Death could take anyone. The waitress was a young girl, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. She had probably died in the first days from the look of her. She still wore her apron, though it was torn. Her uniform was mostly gone as well, a chunk of her shoulder was missing and so her left arm no longer seemed to move. The old gentleman was just that, an older man all dressed up in suit and tie. He didn’t look as long dead as the waitress. He might have dressed up for some reason or another and met his fate, perhaps he died in his sleep.

The newcomer was a child.

Her dark hair in pigtails, she was dressed in hiking clothes, so it was easy to assume she was a survivor – or had been before she died. Kat could see the bite mark in her neck that had killed her. Pieces of skin her missing on her arms and stomach, bones showing through the bloodied clothing. It wasn’t fresh, but it didn’t matter. It was horrifying.

Kat lowered the binoculars and turned away.

“It’s okay” Nick lowered his own, looking a little pale, and reached for the notebook. “You shouldn’t have to look at that Kat. Not when you have…Well, don’t look. Just don’t look at her”

She turned back again, steadying herself with a breath. “No, no, we have to make sure there are no others. No other new ones” With trembling hands, she began to lift up the binoculars again. Nick’s hand stopped her. He was holding out the notebook, the pen clipped to it.

“Why don’t you write descriptions down? Your handwriting is easier to read than mine”

She took the notebook gratefully. She turned so she could write against the small table they kept on the roof just for this, so there was a stable writing surface. She took the cap off the pen and made sure the ink was flowing. She wrote down the day and then looked up at Nick to see if there were any others. Her writing was already on the page, confirming the same Lurkers were in the area, which ones had moved on after lingering and which ones were wandering closer. They also wrote down which ones actually came up to the building and which ones were dead as well.

“Okay, uh, little girl – about ten or eleven years old. Black hair, pigtails. Bite mark on the neck, probably former survivor” Nick told her, “Sound good?”

“Good enough. They should be able to I.D. her with that” Kat replied after she had finished writing it. “Anymore?”

“I don’t see old Pig Eye anymore. I haven’t seen him all day actually. Mark him as having potentially wandered off” She did as he asked. “Oh and there’s another new one. Young boy – teenager. Short black hair, torn orange vest, green shorts”

“Wonder if he’s related to the little girl”

“Might have been a group that got overwhelmed” It was sad that it was such an average conversation to have. Talking about people who died. It happened every day. It was tragic, but it happened.  She looked back up towards the tree line. She couldn’t see the little girl or the teenager than Nick just described from here, not without her binoculars, but she really didn’t want to see them. “Hey, Kat…it’s okay. We’re safe here.”

“Are we really, Nick?”

“Well…from the Walkers.”

“I heard there was another breach yesterday. A couple people got hurt.” It hadn’t been on the announcements, but there were rumors circling. Everyone was worried. Apparently a wall had just fallen, just like that. Five got in, but they managed to kill them before they got far. The wall got fixed up and Carver wasn’t talking about it. Kat found that a little strange.

She remembered him freaking out on Benny for one little mishap…She felt bad for whoever he blamed for this one.

“I heard that too. I asked Luke about it, but…” He frowned. “I just hope everyone is okay”

That didn’t make Kat feel any better about it, but Nick changed the subject and soon they moved on to slightly lighter things. The day passed and soon they were heading down into the building again for a break. Then they’d switch jobs; do something else until dinner time. But then an announcement rang out over the speakers and it sent chills down Kat’s spine.

“I would like anyone who is not on guard duty who may leave their station to report to the outdoor pen.”

It was Carver, who hardly did announcements himself. She looked at Nick whose face went sour. She could tell he didn’t like the idea of going any more than she did. She saw him looking around, as they walked towards a group of people heading towards the outdoor pen. He must have seen Luke because his hand suddenly rose in a wave. Luke came over, Pete with him. Linda followed, with Elizabeth holding her hand.

“Mama, what’s going on?” Elizabeth asked, letting go of Linda to hurry to her mother.

“I’m not sure, baby girl.” She looked towards Luke, taking Elizabeth’s hand softly in her own.

“I don’t know either, we should go see though” He led their small group towards the outdoor pen where they stood, in a half-circle with the entrance open, waiting for Carver to show up for whatever he had to say or show them. Not a lot of people were actually there. She saw Troy, but he was holding a gun and standing by the door, as if a guard, along with Michael, the other guy who had found Kat and Elizabeth that first day weeks ago.

Then she noticed something a little startling about the group of them that were gathered – they all seemed to be Luke’s supporters. There were a few people who supported Carver, like Rebecca and even Vince…but a majority of them were Luke’s people. She saw that Sarah, Carlos’ daughter was not here though. A sinking feeling rooted itself in Kat’s stomach and she pulled Elizabeth closer to her, happy she still had her riffle from when she was on guard. She and Nick hadn’t gotten to bring them back before they got called to this meeting.

Carver finally entered the pen, looking like a cat that had just caught a mouse – filled with a sick sense of pride. Kat looked towards Nick, who was the closest person to her. She felt his hand on her arm, tugging her back a little. She pulled Eliza with her. Clearly Nick was getting the same bad vibes from Carver that she was.

“You might be wondering why I called everyone here” Carver started, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was quite aware that this wasn’t “everyone”. “It’s time we have a talk about responsibility. Luke, you claim you have a good eye for who is responsible and whose not, correct?”

“I can generally tell, yes” Luke answered. Pete stood right next to him.

“Listen here, Bill-”

“I’m talking to Luke, not you Peter” Carver snapped. Pete shut up, but the look on his face was anything but happy. Kat saw Linda reach for her brother’s arm but he shook her off. She didn’t look hurt, only worried. “I would like to correct you on that thought, Luke…You see, you don’t seem to know anything about any of ‘your’ people. One of the people you put your trust in has let Walkers into this building not once, but twice now.”

“Goddamn it Bill, what have you done?” Luke’s fist were clenched, his body ridged. She never saw Luke angry, but she even got what Carver was implying here. What had he done? Who had he…

“Bring him here” He said and Troy left the room and came back, half dragging someone. He pushed them towards Carver who caught them only to hold them up before the group.

“Benny!” Linda cried, trying to dart forward. Pete caught her and held her back. She could see why. Benny was half dead – literally.

It was very clear from his fever-flushed face, to his slow reaction of trying to get away from Carver that Benny had been bit. She could see his arm wrapped. Someone had tried to treat him. Someone had tried to save him. It was clear that he was turning though – that he would turn soon.

“Bill! You let him go! He’s made some mistakes but he’s a good kid!” Luke yelled. He didn’t seem to care Lurkers could hear them; he was focused solely on saving Benny. Kat looked as Nick stepped forward too, ready to assist Luke.

“He’s bit, Luke”

“He’s not a rabid dog! We are people! We can sort this out!”

“When you get bit, you turn. When you turn, you bite others. You know my rule, you get bit, you get put down” She could see Carver was getting some kind of sick thrill from this. Their group was a mob now, people pushing forward, people pushing back, yelling and crying out. Kat kept close to Nick and Luke, feeling safest there. Of course it gave her a great view to watch as Carver pulled a gun out of his coat as he and Luke bickered.

She watched him, unable to stop him, as he put the gun to Benny’s head and pulled the trigger. People screamed and she grabbed Elizabeth, turning her away from the mess. The poor little one was crying, scared out of her mind. She knew what happened when people got bit, but she had never seen a person – a still human person – shot in the head, point-blank like that. Kat had never let her see that – she was too young.

“You son of a bitch!” Nick yelled and then he ran at Carver. Carver hit him hard enough to make him stumble back into Luke.

“Let this be a lesson to you all” And Carver turned and walked out of the pen, leaving them all a mess. Linda was sobbing in her brother’s arms. Nick was trying to clean himself up and go after Carver again, Luke was talking him down. Kat was saying soft words to Elizabeth, trying to calm her again. She was trying not to look at Benny’s body. Trying very hard.

She buried her face in her daughter’s hair and tried not to think about what just happened, tried to just forget. Somethings couldn’t be forgotten though. She knew she had to get out of this place. She knew she couldn’t stay here. It was too dangerous, it was worse than being outside with the Lurkers.

Kat supposed sometimes it was men who were the real monsters.

She watched as the others began to filter out, stepping over Benny’s body. Soon only Luke, Pete, Linda, Nick and herself remained with Elizabeth. She had calmed down and stopped crying refused to leave Kat’s arms. She buried her face in Kat’s chest, refusing to so much as peek. She didn’t blame her. Nick and Luke wandered over. Nick’s face was slightly swelled.

“We’re leaving” Luke said in a low voice. “If you want, you and your little girl could come with us”

“And I suppose Carver will let us just walk right out, will he?” She replied, not bothering to look up, stroking her daughter’s hair.

“No, but I’ve got a plan” Luke insisted.

“I’ll think about it” Kat refused to look at them.

“Kat…” This time it was Nick who spoke.

“I said I’d think about it” Her tone a little more harsh than she meant. She was stressed and tired and she didn’t want to think about things like that right now. They must have gotten the hint because the two wandered over to Benny’s body and began the grizzly task of removing it. Next to approach her was Linda. She didn’t say anything; she just crouched by her and Elizabeth. Kat looked over at her, tears in her eyes.

“That was awful” She whispered, knowing Elizabeth could hear. She had to stay strong; she didn’t let the tears reach her voice.

“I know, honey, I know” Linda replied, another tear sliding down her cheek. She thought about what Luke said about leaving, as she watched them bundle Benny’s body in a tarp. Maybe she would go. It couldn’t be any worse than staying here.


	5. Escape

“I can’t stay here” Kat stopped when she heard a familiar voice. She was running an errand for Vince, who had caught her when she was going for a drink of water. She just had to go give something to Bonnie for him, but she stopped when she heard talking in one of the many off rooms.

_I’ve got to stop walking past these damn places_ she thought, remembering this was exactly how she had stumbled upon Carver yelling at Benny. She knew she should just keep walking, but she knew the voice was Rebecca’s – and she hated to admit it, but she was curious. So she stopped, if only to hear the reason or who she was talking to.

“Well, I…I can understand but…I mean, holy shit.” It was Luke. “Holy shit, what am I supposed to say?”

“Say you have a plan that will work” Rebecca sounded like she was in tears.

“Ha-have you told Alvin? I mean I can’t…I can’t even imagine…”

“I’m not going to tell him. I’m not going to tell anybody – and you’re not going to either!”

And that was more than enough for Kat. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she snuck off, letting their voices fade behind her. She bit at her lip, wondering if she should turn back and see what was wrong. She didn’t really like Rebecca but if she had a reason to leave it was serious. Kat had never given Luke or Nick an answer and it had been well over a month since Carver executed Benny. She hadn’t been avoiding them, but she had been avoiding the question. They’d both tried to talk to her, but she didn’t know what to say. If Rebecca wanted to leave, then things were serious. Maybe Carver had targeted her as well.

He had brought Kat up to “talk” to him again two weeks ago. She had found Luke and brought him with her. Carver had been furious. He had made thinly veiled threats, aimed at Elizabeth. Luke had disarmed him though, making a few cool threats of his own. In the end Carver had chased both of them out of his office. She hadn’t seen much of him since.

She turned around, hoping she could catch Luke and talk to him about wanting to go with his group when they left. She knew the plan was already in action. She knew that they were getting ready to go and soon. She didn’t know who all was going and she didn’t want to know. She just wanted to make sure she and Elizabeth were part of it. She reached the room where Luke and Rebecca had been talking and peeked inside.

“Shit” She muttered to herself. They were both gone, she must have missed them. She scratched the back of her head, frustrated with herself. She should have just waited. She had just turned when a person pushed her into the room and the door slammed shut behind them. She fell and pushed herself up, to see Carver standing before her that pleased smile on his face.

“Well look at what I found here…Not with your big, strong protectors today, are we?” He asked, sauntering closer to her. She scooted backwards, away from him, until she hit the wall. The room was small, too small. She pulled herself onto her feet. “Don’t think I didn’t realize what you did…you ran to Luke right away didn’t you? Told him everything…How I was _pressuring_ you, didn’t you?”

“Carver, get the fuck away from me” She warned him. She had no weapon. She noticed he had a gun on his hip and a knife strapped to his leg. She was already at a weapon disadvantage. The room was small, the door was closed. She realized how fucked she really was.

“Or you’ll what?” He asked, another step forward, another step closer. “I’ll make sure you like it.” He grabbed her arm with one hand and the other was trying to unbutton her pants. She tried to knee him in the groin but he turned and she only hit his hip. She shoved him away and to her surprise he did stumble. She tried to get around him but he grabbed her again and slapped her so hard her vision blurred for a moment. “You like it rough? Fine, I’ll be rough”

“No! No!” She screamed, she yelled, she fought. She was _not_ going to give up without a fight. She kicked and clawed, he grabbed both her wrists in one hand, but that still left one hand free. She kicked at his stomach and chest but he pushed her to the ground, pinning her legs with his own. She bucked and thrashed, still not willing to give up – this was not happening. This was not happening.

“What the fuck are you doing to her?” A voice suddenly yelled and Carver was ripped off her. She pulled back, away from him, pulling herself to her feet again.

“This is none of your business boy” Carver snarled. She looked at her savior, who was between her and Carver now – it was none other than Nick.

“Like hell it ain’t. She clearly wants nothing to do with you, now leave her alone!” Carver looked around Nick at her and something like amusement passed over his face. A wicked smile crossed his lips and he laughed, a low, dark chuckle.

“Alright. Fine. I already got what I wanted anyway” He turned and left the room and Kat let out a heavy breath, sinking against the wall behind her. She was shaking slightly, but she had managed to…

“Hey, you okay?” She looked up at Nick. He was giving her a concerned look and she gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, thanks to you. How…how did you know?”

“I heard you screaming. I was taking a shortcut and just happened to walk by. Awful glad I did.”

“I’m awful glad you did too.” She took another shaky breath and straightened. In the struggle, her hair had fallen down. She knew she should have cut it long ago, but could never bear to, so she usually kept it up in a tight bun on her head. She untangled the hairband from her naturally curly red hair and worked it around her wrist. She’d have to go to the bathroom to put it back up right, else her bun would be too sloppy.

“I’ve never seen you with your hair down” Nick commented suddenly and she looked at him. “It’s pretty”

She let out a little laugh. “Thanks. I should really cut it though. Its not safe to have long hair anymore.” That much was true.

“All you need is a hat. Keep your hair under a hat and you’ll be fine” She gave him a look and a smile appeared on his face. She could tell he was joking – a little. She smiled, thankful that he was trying to cheer her up after what had just happened.

“By the way Nick, if it’s not too late, I’d like to come with you guys…” She said that in a softer voice, in case anyone might be listening. “Me and Elizabeth, that is” Nick looked a little surprised but then he smiled.

“Of course it’s not. I gotta talk to Luke anyway, so I’ll tell him okay? He’ll give you details soon” The two of them left the room. Nick walked with her until she was back in the more populated areas of the store before hurrying off to find Luke. She watched him go, smiling, mostly to herself. He was a good guy and she was damn lucky he came around when he did. 

* * *

 

 Luke began meeting with her and Elizabeth. To anyone on the outside, it might have looked like her going to Luke for advice or that he was giving them their assignments for the day. In truth, he was giving her information about when and how they were leaving. It was to happen the night of the new moon, so it would be darkest. Luke had gotten them some dark colored clothes to wear, so it would be easy to just sneak out. He told them to just wear them to bed, or to wear them wherever they were going. It was late spring, but the shirts were long sleeved, to cover more skin and let them blend better into the darkness around them. He had backpacks of supplies hidden away, where no one would find them, so that they could pick them up and have a few things for their escape.

It was two weeks later, after she had told Nick that she would be going with them, that the plan was finally put into action. They were going to wait until everyone else had bedded down and then sneak out and make their escape. Kat was already dressed in her dark clothes and was heading back to the rooms to sleep. Linda had taken Elizabeth to use the bathroom and change her clothes. Kat had remained behind for a moment to talk to Luke, but was finally heading back to her room. She had an easy job that day, so she wasn’t too tired. She knew it was going to be hard for Eliza to run all night though. She was still a child after all.

She hadn’t gotten far before Troy came up to her, George behind him. Both were armed, but George had an additional gun. She stopped, a bad feeling in her gut.

“Hey you” Troy snapped at her. “We need a third for our guard tonight, you drew the short straw”

“I worked today though” She told him.

“I don’t give a fuck. You only need to pull a four hour shift. It won’t kill you. Take the gun and come with us” She took the gun from George who rolled his eyes at Troy’s rude behavior.

“Sorry. He’s mad because the other person got reassigned and Carver just told him to pull the first person he saw” George told her. “Don’t worry, its only a short shift. We’re just patrolling the walls tonight.”

“It’s okay” She didn’t know what else to say. She saw Luke and he watched her walk away with them, a frown on his face. He walked towards them and stopped her. The others stopped and she knew they were too close for them to talk about their plans now. “Tell Linda to take care of Elizabeth, okay? I’ll be back” Then she hurried to follow after the two men. Luke watched her go and finally turned, walking away.

There wasn’t anything they could do that wouldn’t seem suspicious, so she just had to go with them and hope she wasn’t left behind. They had her, George and Troy patrolling the middle between the two walls, looking for weak points and killing walkers that were up against the wall. They were all given long screwdrivers to stab into the eyes of the zombies. One quick shove and the creatures were dead. They pushed them back and kill the next one if needed, all through the gaps in the wall. It was grim work, Kat never liked killing the undead. They used to be alive, they used to be somebody.

As time went by, she knew it had to be close to when they were planning on leaving. She began to get antsy. Troy was getting annoyed with her, she knew. She was trying to think of any excuse to leave their company, as they finished their first walk around the first part of the walls.

“I have to go to the bathroom” She said suddenly. Both Troy and George looked at her funny. “I didn’t want to say anything, but that’s where I was going when you guys caught me. I really have to go.” Her face flushed. “Sorry, probably T.M.I.”

“Ugh, fine.” Troy was disgusted but they all marched back inside. Troy lingered just outside, probably to smoke and she began to walk off, hoping to slink off and meet up with everyone but George surprised her by touching her shoulder.

“I’ll come too. I’ve actually got to go too” He smiled slightly and they began walking towards the bathrooms. The nearest ones were sort of secluded, so maybe she could slip away…

They had just reached them and he went into the men’s and she into the woman’s. She dawdled in there, trying to come up with a plan. She exited the bathroom after a few minutes, only to run into Alvin.

“What are you doing here?” She asked him.

“Coming to get you. Luke sent me, we’ve got to go” He took her arm and they were about to move out when the men’s door opened. George looked at the two of them, both dressed in dark colors and frowned.

“What are you doing here Alvin? Everyone is supposed to be asleep…Unless…” He looked at their dark clothes again and then he turned. Kat knew he was going to raise the alarm. Alvin didn’t hesitate, he pounced, a knife coming out of his pocket. Before she could say anything, George was dead, the knife in the back of his neck.

“He won’t come back at least” Alvin didn’t sound cold, he sounded sad. He sounded full of regret. “I’m sorry, George” She touched his arm and he looked at her, putting the knife away again. “We have to go” He repeated finally.

The two of them fled the scene, heading to the meet-up point. Luke gave her a backpack and even Elizabeth got a small one. She was given a handgun for herself and one for Elizabeth. Apparently, Luke had managed to raid the gun and ammunition storage. It wasn’t a lot, but everyone at least had a gun.

“We all ready?” Luke asked. They were sneaking out of the shipping gate. He opened it just enough that they could all slip out. It was a little bit of a drop and Kat had to help Elizabeth down. Luckily, there weren’t many walkers outside and honestly they could easily outrun them as long as they didn’t wind themselves.

She looked at their group; Pete, Linda, Nick, Luke, Alvin, Rebecca, Reggie, Carlos, Elizabeth and herself. Ten people. That was a fairly large group anymore to be traveling on foot but there was little choice. She looked at all of them, knowing this was going to be a hard flight from this place. Luke had gone over a map with her and Elizabeth, pointing out a park they’d all meet at in case they got separated. They’d rest there a bit and then keep on moving.

She took her daughter’s hand and looked down at her. “Be ready to run, sweetheart” She ruffled her daughter’s short hair and looked up at Nick who was looking at her. She smiled at him and he gave her an almost nervous, awkward wave, before turning his head back to something his mother was saying.

Luke finally gave the signal and they all started moving. They kept together, the men in the front and back, the women in the middle. They had sharp and blunt weapons, pipes, axes and the like, to ward off any walkers that got in their way. They knew they’d be spotted but they hoped to be almost across the parking lot when they were.

“Did you think I didn’t know?” A voice called to them as they ran. They were barely a hundred feet from the building, but Carver was there, standing on top, shouting at them like a mad man. “Did you _really_ think you could just leave this family?” His words were drawing more walkers towards them. Kat pulled Elizabeth along, willing her to run faster. They were starting to drift from the middle of the group.

Then there were gun shots, all around them. No one seemed to get hit, but it scared them, startled them. Their huddle broke, they scattered. Kat was suddenly alone with Elizabeth. She grabbed an old gnarled stick as she moved and smashed a walker in the head with it. It fell and the stick broke. She and Elizabeth didn’t stop.

Then Elizabeth yowled, stopping where she was.

“Elizabeth!” She realized her daughter had been shot, grazed by a bullet. She didn’t have time to stop and treat it, to even look at her arm. She scooped the young girl up and kept moving towards the tree line. Both arms were around her daughter, squeezing her to her chest, while she wailed, afraid and in pain.

The tree line was so close, she could see it. She could hear the bullets fading behind her, as the guns maxed out their range. She darted between zombies, her only goal to reach the darkness of the tree line, the safety of the trees where she could hide and treat Elizabeth. She couldn’t hear the others anymore and she had no idea where any of them were. She had no idea where she was really. Between dodging the bullets and the zombies, she had no idea what direction she was headed in.

She reached the tree line, but didn’t stop. It was dark, but not pitch black. She could hear the lurkers growling and shuffling behind her yet and she was sure the blood from Eliza’s wound was driving them forward. They went into a frenzy when they smelt fresh blood. She knew she couldn’t stop yet; she would just have to keep pushing forward.

She ran, her daughter clutched to her chest, leaving the terror of that place behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, every Monday there will be a new chapter. The times may vary, but I will be trying my hardest to publish a chapter every week. Thanks for reading :)


	6. Outside the Walls

She kept moving. She was able to put Elizabeth down eventually, but she wouldn’t stop to rest, no matter how tired she was. According to Luke, the park was about three hours of walking away. They wouldn’t rest there for long. Everyone had three hours to get there or they got left behind. She and Elizabeth had food and weapons, but she didn’t want to be alone again. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to be with a group. They were her friends, she trusted them.

They had stopped briefly a while back, to treat Elizabeth’s wound a little. She at least got it wrapped up at least, but she wanted Carlos to look at it as soon as she met up with them again. First she had to find them though. They just kept moving, though a few times Elizabeth complained of being tired. There was no moon, so it was nearly pitch black in the forest. They had managed to find a trail though and she figured her best bet was following it.

“Moma” Eliza suddenly whispered, coming to a halt. “I can hear someone following us. Is it a monster?”

“I don’t know baby, but be quiet. Follow me” She led her daughter off the path and into the trees. It might be someone from their group – more than likely though, it was a zombie. She could hear whatever it was…wait, was there…more than one? She watched from her hiding spot as two tall…men, yes they were men and they most certainly weren’t dead, wandered to where Kat and Elizabeth had walked off the path.

“I think they cut through the forest” The one whispered to the other. She could barely hear them, but she quieted her breathing to hear them better. They were looking for her and Elizabeth. Why? She pulled Elizabeth back a little, ready to creep off into the forest. She rather not find out, but they seemed to be looking through the trees for them.

“Hey!” The one called in a low voice. “I know you’re in there somewhere. We don’t want to hurt you…We just want what you got”

Their supplies. Of course. It was a bad idea to wear these backpacks – or at least it was when they were alone. She should have kept better track of the group.

“You come out, give us what you got, we’ll let you go” The man went on. “But if you make us search, we might get angry. So just come out. We don’t want to hurt you or that kid” They waited a long moment. She could see the shadow of them, but it was hard to see any details. She imagined that they had weapons though. A handgun could kill as easily as a rifle.

“I don’t feel good about this, Mark” She heard the first guy mutter to the other. “She’s got a kid”

“We’ve got five other people to take care of” Hissed the other guy, Mark. “She just had the ill luck to walk past us. We need whatever stuff she has.”

“Fine” He didn’t seem happy and he reached to his side. A flashlight clicked on a moment later and Kat moved Elizabeth behind a tree. This hiding spot wouldn’t last though. She checked and made sure Elizabeth had her gun and that she had her own.

“Listen to me very carefully, baby girl” She whispered to her daughter. “You need to run, that way” She pointed towards where the park they were meeting at should be. “Follow the path from within the trees – don’t stray from it! Run as fast as you can”

“What about you, mommy?” She couldn’t see the fear on her daughter’s face, but she could hear it in her voice.

“I’ll gotta lead these men away. Don’t worry, baby, I’ll be fine” She hugged Eliza close and kissed her forehead twice. “Now go, Eli, go.” She gave her a gentle push. She hesitated but turned and ran the way Kat had told them. The men heard her running but Kat jumped from behind her tree. “What do you bastards want?” The light focused on her, blinding her a second. She held her hand up in front of her face, but they didn’t move the flashlight’s blinding gaze from her eyes.

“That’s a little unfriendly” The man called Mark said. “Me and my friend here, we just want to talk to you. Where did that little girl go? The one that was with you?”

“I didn’t have a little girl with me” She lied.

“We know that’s not true” The other man spoke now, he finally pointed the flashlight slightly in front of her, rather than in her eyes. “Where is she?” She didn’t speak, pressing her lips together. Her hand ran along her leg, slowly reaching for her gun. She saw the one pull out his own handgun, pointing it at her.

“Hands up or I’ll shoot”

“And attract every Lurker within five miles” She warned them, put she complied and put her arms up.

“Go look for the girl, Rick. She can’t have gone far. She had stuff of her own.”

“Don’t you-!” She started, turning as the other man walked away but the one with the gun, Mark, walked closer to her, his hand on the trigger.

“Stay where you are. Go on, Rick” She had to watch as Rick jogged off, in the direction Eliza had taken. Kat watched him go, clenching and unclenching her fists. If he hurt her…

“That’s my _daughter_ ” She hissed at Mark. “If he so much as hurts her-”

“Shut up. You don’t got your gun pointed, I do. I talk, you keep your mouth shut and you get to go find your daughter, got it?” He began walking towards her. “Now give me any weapons you have. Now” His one hand reached out, holding it out for her rifle probably. She reached back slowly and began to slide the strip down her shoulder. She had to awkwardly move her arm to get it out from under the gun, while trying to keep them up at the same time.

She had to walk two steps closer to him to hand him her gun. She held it out to him, looking at him, judging his reaction. His hand reached up for the gun and she jerked it back last minute and before he could react, she used the butt of the gun and smashed him in the forehead with it. He had jerked back, just slightly, so the gun didn’t hit him as hard as she hoped it would. He stumbled back more than anything.

“Bitch!” He hissed but she clutched her riffle and darted into the woods, heading the way she hoped her daughter was. She couldn’t allow them to take their supplies, their guns, they needed those. The group was depending on them to carry their share of items.

She ran, crashing through the forest, probably making a hell of a lot of noise. It would probably attract Lurkers in the area right to her. She could deal with Lurkers though. They were predictable. People, were the real danger. She had learned that long ago. She could hear him running after her, though he had to be dizzy from that knock on the head she had given him. Still, she could hear him and that pushed her to try and go faster. If she hit the path, she’d be able to run faster, her jeans wouldn’t keep snagging on branches and other things, but he’d be faster too.

She decided to cut her losses, try for the path. She was a few feet from it, but he must have seen her cutting across and taken advantage of that because suddenly he was there, his hand in her hair pulling her down, his gun bumping against the side of her head. He was screaming at her and she had no idea what he was saying. She couldn’t really hear him, her heart was pounding in her ears and she was sobbing “No, no, no”.

Just as suddenly, he was off her and she fell into the ground and rolled, as the force of whatever had ripped him off her had knocked her down as well. Someone was pulling her up and touching her shoulders, arms, making sure she was okay. She looked up and saw Luke and then over at the man who had attacked her. Pete and Nick were pinning him down.

She watched, not really able to digest what she was seeing. She saw them threatening him – or something. The man scrambled to his feet and fled. Pete had his gun and Nick was holding a wicked looking knife. He came over to her and touched her shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

“I think shes in a bit of a shock” Luke said next.

“My…Elizabeth, another man was after Elizabeth! We have to-!”

“She’s with my mom” Nick cut her off. “She found us and we took care of the guy chasing her. She told us there was another man with you and we came as fast as we could.” She felt her knees give out as the relief hit her. Eliza was safe, she was safe, they were both with the group again. “Are you okay?”

“Just relived. Oh God, I thought he was going to kill me. I thought that other bastard was going to kill Eliza”

“You’re safe now” Luke assured her.

“We won’t be for long. We’ve got to get moving.” Pete cut in. Kat got back to her feet, the terror of the night beginning to truly wear on her – running so far from the store, the two men, she was exhausted. But they had to keep moving. There would be no rest – not for a while yet at least. So they got moving, heading back towards the rest of the group. Linda had taken Elizabeth to the park, they told her. Everyone else was probably there and waiting for them.

It didn’t take too long to reach it and as soon as Elizabeth saw her, she ran towards Kat. “Mommy!” She scooped up her daughter in a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry to scare you like that, baby girl”

“I wasn’t scared” Eliza insisted, pulling away to look up at Kat. “When I found Nick and Luke, I knew they’d help me. And that they’d help you too.”  She smiled, so proud of herself. Kat hugged her again.

“You’re so brave” She told her and she could feel her daughter beaming. She stood, taking Eliza’s hand and looking over the rest of the group. It seemed they were all there only…

“Where’s Reggie?” Kat asked Luke.

“He was with me but he…he fell. I couldn’t help him. They were starting to come out of the building…” He looked regretful.

“We have to keep moving” Pete said again.

“If we find shelter, we can rest, but for now, its best if we get as much distance between us and them as possible” Carlos added. Sarah stood by him looking around nervously. Kat wondered how she had survived so long. She seemed…skittish at best. Once again they fell into formation, with the men on the outside and the front and back of the ground; the women and children in the middle.

Kat fell in step with Linda as they walked. “Thank you, for taking care of her” She said softly.

“It was nothing. She was so smart. She ran right up to us when she saw us and hid behind Nick” She smiled. “She’s a bright little girl.”

“I’m mighty proud of her” Kat looked down at Elizabeth who smiled up at her. She yawned only a moment later though. It was late and she had to be exhausted. Kat knew she was. They walked, until the sun began to rise and turn the trees a golden color. Kat had switched to carrying Eliza in her arms because the poor little one was practically asleep on her feet and could no longer keep up with the adults. Even Sarah was looking tired and she had said as much to her father a few times, though he had hushed her.

It was a long walk and Elizabeth wasn’t as light as she used to be. She was getting tall too, Kat had trouble holding her comfortably in her arms. She could tell that Elizabeth was stirring every time she adjusted her slightly. She felt bad, but she also had to account for the backpack on her daughter’s back and the riffle on her own shoulder.

“Why don’t you let me carry her for a little bit?” Nick suddenly offered. She glanced up at him and then stopped so she could more easily transfer Elizabeth into his arms. He held her easily, wrapping both arms about her to keep her more steady.

“Thank you. She’s heavier than I remember…” She let out a little sigh. “She’s getting so big”

They didn’t talk for a moment as they walked. The group was mostly quiet, concentrating on getting as far as they could as fast as they could. Rebecca seemed very tired and actually, she didn’t look so well either. She looked almost like she was going to be sick. Alvin was attentive, helping her when he could. They mainly stayed on the path, not wanting to cut into the woods just yet. Plus, with such a large group, that could be dangerous.

As they walked though, the path became harder to tell from the overgrowth and she knew that they had wandered into territory that had not been walked upon in a long while. Pete had a compass and he said that they were heading south for now. That left Kat with mixed feelings as she had fled from the south. She knew nowhere was safe, but…

She, Nick and Luke took turns carrying Elizabeth. It was better to split the load between three people. Eventually, she was back on her feet, albeit a bit sleepy yet. She could keep up though. The day was already beginning to fade and the long march was already starting to take a toll on the group. They had only stopped for bathroom breaks really. They had eaten while they walked and none of them but Eliza had slept, though Kat could tell her daughter hadn’t slept well.

“We need to rest” Alvin finally said. “Rebecca is exhausted”

“I’m fine” She said, giving her husband a gentle glare. “I can keep going”

“We’ve been walking almost a full day. We should find shelter, if we can, and rest” Carlos said next. “We’re all tired” And he sounded tired. Kat nodded her agreement.

They marched on, looking for any signs of civilization; or at least a building they could rest in. They didn’t have tents or anything, they didn’t even have sleeping bags. The nights were mild and warm, but that didn’t mean that it was safe to sleep outside. They had seen a few Lurkers while walking. Luke, Pete or Nick would lead them away from the group and then kill them. Kat suspected that Carlos didn’t want his daughter to see. Again, she had to disagree with the man. He was sheltering her too much. What would she do without him?

So, on they went, until nightfall was nearly upon them. By this point, while the adults were all fairly okay, Sarah and Elizabeth clearly needed a rest. They were both dragging. They were both too young to do such a march. Just when Kat thought their luck had run out, the trees began to thin and they spotted a town in the distance, probably about three or so miles away. It filled them with the determination they needed to move a little faster. They knew there would be walkers there, but with a group so large, she supposed they felt a little brave.

At the edge of the town were a couple houses and a few Lurkers scattered here and there. It looked as if many had wandered out of the town. Kat, Carlos, Linda, Sarah and Elizabeth headed towards the nearest house and managed to find an unlocked door. Luke, Pete and Nick took care of the few Walkers that were lurking outside. Kat and Linda scoped out the house to see if any Lurkers were within and they got lucky and found there weren’t.

“But no running water either…” She heard Linda mutter, testing the kitchen sink out.

“Running water is a luxury anyway” Kat joked.

After a few minutes, the men came back in, the Lurkers dead. The group of them headed upstairs to barricade themselves up there while they slept. It was a modest house and had three bedrooms, two with double beds and one with two singles. They blocked the stairs off with two couches from an upstairs living area and to deter any living people, they had locked the downstairs doors. That wouldn’t stop anyone for long if they really wanted in the house, but they’d hear them if they broke in.

When everyone was settled down, Kat volunteered for first watch along with Linda. The men of the group had briefly protested, but Linda had so fiercely insisted that there was no way they could fight with her.

“You’re quite scary when you want to be” Kat told her, as she began to take her gun apart to clean it. She had another one sitting next to her in case anything would happen. Linda was just sitting on the floor, a riffle in her arms.

“I have to be. With a son like Nick? Oh and don’t even get me started on when he and Luke would team up…” She shook her head, but Kat could see it was all in good nature. “You’re lucky to have a girl. I’ve always heard girls are easier to raise than boys”

“Maybe, but she hasn’t even hit her troublesome teens”

“But she’s past the terrible twos, so how bad could it be?”

“She wasn’t that bad when she was two or three. I imagine the nightmare is coming when she hits her teen years.” It felt nice to talk about something so normal, even though her daughter would never get to be a nightmare in her teen years. She was growing up too fast in this world – her teenage years would be filled with learning to survive. Kat didn’t even know if she’d be around to see those years or not yet.

“Nick was bad in both. Just in different ways. Well I suppose bad is a strong word – but that boy did give me some gray hairs before I was ready” She smiled, leaning her head back against the wall.

“Isn’t that a child’s job?”

They were silent for a few minutes as Kat reassembled the gun. “Did you give your parents hell when you were young?”

Kat paused, concentrating on the gun a little too hard. “I…I wasn’t very close to my parents. I didn’t live with them really”

“Oh, I…I’m sorry, I didn’t know”

“It’s nothing big. They had their own problems.” Kat shrugged it off. “I lived with my grandparents. I liked it. They lived on an old farm and they had a lot of land. It was nice. My parents lived in the city…I never liked cities”

They began to talk about other things, unimportant things and before she knew it, Nick and Luke were reliving them so they could go and get some rest. The two of them walked to the bedroom with the two single beds. Sarah was sleeping on one, Elizabeth on the other. Rebecca was sleeping on the floor and there were two more stacks of blankets on the floor for Kat and Linda. Kat kissed her daughter’s head and pulled the blankets more snuggly around her before going to her own stack of blankets. She lay down and for the first time in a long time she felt safe.

She wondered how long that feeling would last.


	7. Truths

They were moving again in the morning. They headed east for a bit and then switched to south, then they went east a little longer. They were trying to leave no trail and loose anyone that was following them. In the first few days, they rested very little. They only rested when they found a building that could shelter them, as they were too fearful to build fires outdoors. They avoided cities, though sometimes they would circle in close to gather more supplies. They traveled further in the first week and a half than Kat had imagined possible. Of course, they were trying to put as much distance between themselves and Carver a possible…

But…

Why?

Kat didn’t understand that – it wasn’t like he was going to come after them. Why would he? What would be the point of him chasing after them? Maybe the group was just paranoid. She didn’t blame them though, no one could be too safe anymore in this world.

Within two weeks, they must have moved well out of the state. They generally were moving in a southern direction with no clear destination. They had no long term plan and that kind of bother Kat. Of course, they had to focus on escape, but they needed a plan. They needed a long term plan of some sort.

Kat decided to breech the subject as they were all sitting in an abandoned house. It was a tiny place, only three rooms total. There weren’t many Lurkers in the area though so they just kept the lights off and kept quiet and it wasn’t so bad.

“Where are we going?” She asked and everyone looked up at her like she had sprouted a second head. “Do we have a final destination? Or at least a place we’d like to get to?”

 “Well…our plan right now is to put as much distance between us and Carver as we can” Luke told her.

“Why? Do you think he’s going to come after us?” She asked.

“Uh…”

“Why would he waste resources coming after us? We stole some stuff but he has plenty more. He can find more too I’m sure. We weren’t essential to the operation of that place.” Luke was silent and she got the sudden feeling that he was hiding something from the rest of the group. “Is he going to come after us?”

His continued silence was her answer. She looked around and saw that Nick and Linda looked just as confused as her. Pete didn’t look happy. She wondered who knew and who didn’t.

“Why?” She asked, but he didn’t answer her. He wouldn’t even look at her. “If he’s going to come after us, I think we all deserve to know!”

“I’m pregnant.” Rebecca finally said. Kat was struck dumb.

“You’re…what?” Linda asked. Everyone but Carlos, Luke and Alvin looked surprised. Kat just looked at her for a long moment. Oh god, she remembered that Carver had said “he had gotten what he wanted” to her. Rebecca…

“Me and Alvin are expecting” She said again, crossing her arms across her chest. Kat looked at her and bit at her lip. Her and Alvin, indeed. But maybe it was Alvin’s, she could only hope that it was. She had a feeling that Carver had indeed gotten what he wanted from Rebecca though. Kat could only wonder if he had forced his hand with her or…

“So…he’s going to come after us because he knows?” Nick asked at last.

“He’s obsessed with the next generation. Finding someone to take over for him. I didn’t mean for him to find out, but he looked through Carlos’ records…” Rebecca wouldn’t look at any of them. “He asked me about it and it…made me uncomfortable. I needed to get out of there.”

“So you came with us” Linda finished. “Well, theres nothing we can do now but try and prepare for the future. Kat is right then, we need a final destination.” But there was nothing but silence.

“Let’s just focus on putting distance between us and Carver for now” Pete finally said. “We’ll think it over for a few days and then we’ll try and figure out where we’re going.” That seemed like the best idea for now. Kat was worried though – if Rebecca was having a baby, she was putting them all in danger. Every cry would draw walkers and food might be scarce…how would they feed the baby?

She had to put those thoughts aside for now though.

They rested and in the morning they set off again. Kat kept her eye on Rebecca. She remembered carrying Elizabeth. She had been very sick the entire pregnancy and had ended up dehydrated and sick. That was why she had never had another child. They told her that the chance of her next pregnancy going the same way was very high. She had also wanted to just focus on raising Elizabeth.

They walked a long way that day, walking well into the night. They tried to do that every three days – keep walking all day, walk all night and by midday of the next day, they tried to find a place to rest that night. She hadn’t understood before but she understood now. They were trying to gain distance. She wondered if Carver would come after them on foot. She knew he had a couple of cars fixed up that he sometimes used for supply runs.

The fact that he might use a car to chase them down scared her. He could drive for miles and miles and still beat them. Of course, that was probably why the spent most of their time traveling through the woods. There were no roads near them. The only time they went near an area with roads was when they were looking for shelter and even then they were careful.

The day and that night passed quickly. Kat hardly felt tired. She was alert and listening for cars or movement in the trees. She sometimes thought she heard what sounded like a car, but it would always just be some dry leaves rustling together. She supposed she was just nervous, jumpy even. How could she not be with the news that Carver was probably going to come after them? She just wanted to pretend that it wasn’t true, but there was little hope for that.

The sun indicated it was almost noon before the trees began to break. Everyone was getting tired and Kat was hungry. She knew Elizabeth was too, but they didn’t want to eat until they could stop. The break in the trees could only be a good thing though and within a mile they saw why.

A small gated community say before them, the gates closed. That was either a very good sign or a bad sign. Nick, Pete and Luke went to take a look, see if there were any living people in it and if there weren’t how many Undead. Kat and Linda watched them go. Kat and Alvin were to protect what was left of the ground while the others were gone. Linda stood, her hand against her mouth as she watched her son and brother walk ever close to the closed gate.

“What if there are people in there?” She whispered. Kat glanced at her.

“They can handle themselves”

“Alvin should have gone with them. Four is better than three”

“We need him here to protect everyone else” Kat adjusted her grip on her rifle as she said that. It was the truth. Carlos could shoot, but no one was sure of how good a shot he was. He was busy talking to his daughter anyhow. Linda was all worked up about Pete and Nick going to check on the gated community. Alvin was standing by his wife, talking softly to her.

Kat swept her eyes over the trees, nervous. If they were to be attacked now…

She sighed, she was getting herself all worked up for no reason. She kept her eyes on the trees, sweeping the area every few minutes. Alvin seemed more concerned with talking to Rebecca and she wished he would do his half. Elizabeth was holding onto Linda’s hand as they stood there, waiting for the men to return.

Kat wasn’t sure how long they were gone but she saw Linda begin to move towards them. Elizabeth followed. Kat went to grab her but the little one was too quick for her. She looked ahead, seeing the three men – all walking, guns still in their hands. From this distance they didn’t look worn, but Kat got out a pair of binoculars.

They looked…fine. She saw some blood splatter on them, so perhaps they had to deal with some zombies or…No, looking at the color, it had to be Lurkers. She motioned to the others and they all began to move to meet them. The three didn’t make a sign for them to stop, so she figured that was a good sign.

They reached the trio, with Linda and Elizabeth with them now, as Linda hugged her brother tightly and then her son. She was talking about how worried she had been.

“Jeezus, Lin” Pete rubbed his hand over his head. “I can take care of myself” Nick gave him a hollow glare, but Pete just returned the look evenly, challenging him to say something. Kat interrupted before they could argue.

“How was it in there?”

“Most of the houses are shut up, looks like this place was Evac’d.” Luke said with a frown. “There are a few Lurkers inside and probably more in some of the houses, but honestly? I think we could make this a good place to stay for a few days.”

“A few days?” Rebecca echoed.

“We need to rest. You need to rest” Carlos inputted. “This rough journey is hard on you and hard on the baby.”

“Yeah, I agree” Alvin spoke up by Rebecca gave him a glare. He gave her a gentle smile. “It’s whats best for you and our little girl”

“A girl is it?” Rebecca rolled her eyes. Kat could hear them still talking about it but she turned again to the men.

“So we’re gonna stay here? Are there supplies?” She asked.

“We didn’t look, but it seems these people fled without taking much with them. Some took clothes or maybe guns and some other things but everyone seemed in a hurry to get out. A lot of the doors are locked, as if they were expecting to come back”

“I guess they didn’t make it that far” Kat commented drily.

“No…But I’m sure we can scavenge enough that we can survive. For the moment at least. Maybe even to take with us when we go.” He sounded hopeful and Kat couldn’t blame him. How nice would it be to  find enough supplies to keep them for a while? Even now, their backpacks were beginning to feel light.

“We better get going then” Linda said cheerfully. Kat gave her a sad smile. She was so cheerful, but Kat couldn’t understand why. Not really. She seemed to think that everything was going to be okay in the end. How did she know though? How did she hang onto that hope so tightly, even now?

Kat walked in a slightly grumpy silence. Everyone else was talking in low but excited voices about this place. Was it too good to be true? How many zombies did they see? What houses did they go in? What else was in the community? Kat just listened to the answers, tightening her grip on her rifle just a little bit. She wasn’t sure about this.

They opened the gate and closed it behind them. After that, they lapsed into careful silence. The community was almost too quiet and it almost looked…

Kat remembered those shows on TV before the infection, _Life after Humans_. She had watched an episode or two of it.  It had detailed abandoned towns and theme parks and the like, showing what they looked like five years after humans had left them and then ten and what they might look like twenty years after humans had let nature reclaim them. It had been interesting to watch when nothing else was on at least.

The grass in front of the houses was overgrown, some of the curtains looked a little moth eaten, but cars were still in some driveways. Kids toys still lay in front of their houses. It looked almost like everyone had taken an extra-long vacation.

They spotted the first dead about six blocks down and around the corner. It was a man in his late twenties. Half his body was gone. Luke put him down quick. They looked around for others, attracted by the first’s moaning…but the town was silent.

“Why don’t we pick a house, empty it out if need be and then we can check around the buildings in town?” Luke suggested in a low voice.

They had their picks of houses. They were all large and grand looking. This clearly had been an expensive place to live once upon a time. They walked around the block, taking note of the houses and that there were a few stores within the enclosure as well – probably so the people didn’t have to go to town to get what things they needed.

They finally settled upon a house that was once probably painted a cheery blue, but now the outside was so sun bleached it looked almost white. The roses in the garden were dead and the white paint on the porch was peeling. The door was also open.

“I don’t like this” Kat whispered as they edged into the room, guns ready. Luke, Nick and Pete spread out on the first floor. Kat and Linda crept up the stairs in the entry hall. The others waited outside with Alvin and Carlos armed, just in case.

Kat went left at the top of the stairs and Linda went right. There were six rooms, plus a large second living area. Kat searched that first, finding nothing hiding in the shadows there. She went into the first room, it was a bathroom. It was empty.

She opened the second room, it was a small bedroom. Looked like a little girl’s, with the pink sheets on the unmade bed. Toys scattered across the floor, along with clothes and pretend makeup. The girl who had lived here was young, perhaps Eliza’s age or younger. There was nothing within however. She left the door open. She could see that Linda was checking out a room down the hall, inside of it, out of Kat’s sight.

She knew she should have waited to open her last door, but she figured that no matter what was inside, she’d be fine.

She walked in the room and had only gotten two steps before the smell hit her. She stumbled back, covering her nose and mouth, her eyes watering. The room was one of the smaller rooms, she could see a double bed around the corner, a window on the far wall. On the bed however, she could see a pair of rotting feet. She lifted her gun and rounded the corner…

Only to find the woman on the bed was already long dead.

She was dressed in jeans and what was probably once a lovely white blouse. Red stained it however, soaking across her chest and down to her stomach. In her arms she clutched a child with hair that still somehow blonde, despite the fact that she was rotting too. Her eyes where the blank, milky white of the walking dead, but there was a bullet hole in her head.

Kat realized what she was seeing and it drove her to her knees, as if she had been punched in the gut. It was all her fears in one setting. A child infected, clear by the bite wound on her shoulder. A mother, forced to make the decision to end her child’s suffering and then choosing to end her own.

She heard Linda walk in the room and come to stand by her. She didn’t say anything for what felt like a long time. She eventually felt Linda’s arms on her shoulders, forcing her up and out of the room. She closed the door behind them and looked at Kat with wet eyes.

Kat closed her own, feeling the tears roll down her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this chapter seems rushed and all over the place ;o; I promise, things are going to begin picking up for Nick and Kat in the next chapter!


	8. Darkened House

They buried them outside at sunset.

They took the gun gently from the mother’s fingers, wrapping her other arm around her child. They wrapped both of them up together, as they had been. They just used the blanket the two of them had laid upon. Nick and Luke carried them out. Pete and Alvin helped them dig the hole. They didn’t burry them deep, not six feet anyway. It wasn’t like it mattered anymore. The whole world was a graveyard and most bodies lay on the surface.  There was no one to bury them.

They covered them with dirt and silent prayers.

The others wandered off quickly. Rebecca was talking to Alvin in a soft voice, something about worrying about their baby. Linda was sobbing gently, being led off by Luke and Pete. Sarah was asking her dad what had happened to the mother and her child. Elizabeth stood by her mother, gripping her hand.

“Moma…Are we going to stay in this house?” She asked.

“For tonight at least.” She answered.

“But people…died here”

“People have died everywhere, baby” She answered, giving her daughter’s hand a squeeze. Elizabeth leaned into her mother, her face set into a frown.

“Are there other dead people around?” Elizabeth spoke in a low voice, clearly meaning Lurkers.

“There might be, but we’ll keep you both safe” Kat turned to look at Nick as he approached. “Uh…sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, but, we’re almost done making dinner in there.”

“Of course, we’ll be right in” Kat answered, glancing back at the grave.

Nick looked like he wanted to say something but he pressed his lips together and rubbed the back of his neck. Then he turned, heading back towards the house. Kat followed, Elizabeth walking beside her, still clutching her hand. They all sat down and ate in silence. They had made some sandwiches from some supplies. They were slightly stale, but they found some old soda in the house. It was all expired but they drank it anyway, reliving the memories the sugary beverages gave them.

They sat around and talked about their lives Before. It was nice to remember, but soon enough, they wanted to turn in. Kat volunteered for first watch. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She’d see herself and Elizabeth lying in a ditch, bullet holes in their heads. Rotting for the world to see. No one to bury them and give them that one last respect.

To her surprise, Nick volunteered as well and soon the two of them found themselves bundled in blankets to ward off the chill of the night. They sat on the couch together, their feet up on the coffee table. Her gun leaned next to her and his was across his lap. They didn’t talk right away. Kat couldn’t think of anything to say.

Finally he cleared his throat and reached down and grabbed two sodas. They were each given two for the length of their watch. They had found a whole pack and had decided that those on watch deserved extra. Kat hadn’t argued. She took the soda from him and cracked it open.

The room was dim. A single candle flickered on the coffee table. All the windows had shutters on them and they had closed and locked them to be sure no light escaped to attract Lurkers. They men had said there were very few in the area, or that they saw. Kat feared most might be locked in houses. This place couldn’t be completely empty – that would be too good to be true. It couldn’t have gone so undiscovered in the time since the First Days…

Nothing could be so easy.

“So…” Nick started, albeit a little awkwardly, “What did you do…Before?”

“Huh?” She was a little surprised at the question.

“I’ve known you for months now, but I don’t know anything about you” He gave her a small smile. “That and I’m just trying to shoot the shit – make the time go by faster”

“Well, you get points for honesty” She snorted, a small, soft, giggle escaping her lips. “Alright, we’ll take turns asking questions – fair?”

“Fair”

“I was a CEO’s assistant. I took an early retirement though and turned to being a full time mom” She answered, a small smile on her face. Becoming a full time mom had been hard. She had been attached to her job, but she didn’t regret it. “What about you?”

“College and then me and Luke had the bright idea to start a business…We sank a bunch of money into it and didn’t even break even in the end but…It was a hell of a lot of fun” He was smiling, remembering the hijinks they got into, no doubt. “Where did you live Before? Or is that…” He swallowed hard, clearly wondering if that was too personal.

“No, it’s not” She rolled her eyes gently at him, a smile on her face so he’d know it was all in good nature. “I was born in Georgia, in Athens. My grandparents had a plantation that’s been in our family for generations that I grew up in for a few years but my parents moved me to Buffalo, up in New York State.”

“That must have been hard going from the country to the city”

“It was, I hated it. I ended up going back to my grandparents. I always loved the country. They didn’t have much a farm, too old for that sort of work my grandpa said, but there were fields for miles and I knew all the neighbors”

“That’s a good life to live”

“It is” She agreed. “What about you, where’d you grow up and raise hell?”

He chuckled gently, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “I grew up in South Carolina, on the outskirts of Clemson. It was a college town, both me and Luke ended up attending there. Luke’s family lived on an old farm house not far from where me and my mom lived growing up. When Luke and I went to college, we moved into two, but not that far from our parents, in case they ever needed us”

“Living in a college town…ahh…it all makes sense now”

“And what’s that mean?”

“Why you were such a troublesome boy” She teased. “Living in a college town would probably give a young boy all sorts of ideas”

“I will neither confirm or deny this theory” He chuckled again. Kat liked his laugh. It was deep and husky. She smiled despite herself.  

They talked a little bit more about the small towns they had grown up in. The activities they had enjoyed while young and other such things. Eventually, the quiet laughter had stopped though and they both grew silent, sipping their sodas to conserve them as long as possible, alone with their own thoughts. Kat’s thoughts began to wander straight to the woman and her child who they had buried. There were pictures on the wall of their family. The mother smiling and bright, her daughter small and delicate, in a cute black dress and a man, her husband and the girl’s father probably, his arm about them both. She couldn’t see the picture in the light of the single candle anymore, but she had noticed it when they had come in.

This was a family’s home.

This was once a place filled with laughter and happiness, with a growing child and maybe a family that had every intention to grow. A husband who loved his wife, a wife who loved cooking dinner for her family.

But maybe none of that was true. Maybe the tale had been darker, but Kat didn’t want to think of that. She wanted to believe that one, happy, picture on the wall was what this family was. All smiles, all happiness, a sweet family, one that everyone thought was perfect – and it was. She closed her eyes and willed her not to think of her own family life. It was behind her, it would never be like that again.

“Kat?” Nick’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she opened her eyes and looked up at him. She was surprised to find her lashes were wet. Was she crying? When had that started? He scooted closer to her, his face concerned. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?” He was whispered, leaning close, his breath warm on her cheeks and lips.

She turned her face away and shook her head. He put a gentle, but strong, arm around her. She resisted a moment but allowed him to pull her close. Buried in the blankets and his chest, it was like the world didn’t exist for a long moment. The tears came harder, but she didn’t allow herself to sob. She clung to him, shut her eyes tight and he held her. He didn’t comment, he didn’t ask and she was so thankful for that.

He just let her bury her head in his chest, allowed her to cry, but didn’t make anything of it. It was like he knew this was what she needed.

After what seemed a long time, she carefully leaned back. His arm slid from around her shoulders to lower on her back. His hand was warm, she could feel it through the blankets. She looked up at him, his blue eyes seemed darker in the candle light. His features were stark in this light, contrasted to what was around them. He was looking down at her and his expression was…odd? She couldn’t place it.

He began to lean down and without thinking, she leaned up, as if to meet him. What was she doing? Was she really going to do this? She turned away at the last minute and he jerked back as if she had hit him. She wasn’t going to do this to him. She wasn’t going to kiss him or…or anything else, just because she was an emotional wreck. Besides that, she wasn’t going to use him in anyway.

“Nick..” He leaned away from her, the warmth of his arm and hand gone. She returned to her spot on the couch. He seemed upset. “Nick, please listen to me”

“What?” He gruffed, sounding so like his Uncle in that moment.

“I…I don’t want to use you like that. I don’t want to…” She didn’t know how to explain it. “I just can’t, okay Nick? I’m sorry. I think you’re great but using you…”

“I wasn’t arguing.”

“Yes, but you’re my friend!” She snapped at him, standing. “I trust you and I don’t…”

She stopped as she heard someone coming down the stairs. Had she been shouting? She thought she had been talking in a harsh whisper but what if she had been louder? She bit at her lip, turning towards the stairs. Linda and Pete came downstairs, carrying a candle.

“It’s about time for you two to get to bed” Linda said, in a soft voice, clearly oblivious to the argument that had just been happening. “We’ll take over now”

“Yeah, thanks” Nick stood, leaving his gun for them. Kat unwrapped the blanket from her and left it for them as well. They took the near dead candle on the table to guide them upstairs. They had to walk together, since they only had one lighter in the pitch black house. She could feel the annoyance and the frustration rolling off him in waves.

The room where the women were sleeping came first so she handed the candle to him. She saw the look on his face as she passed it to him. She bit at her lip again, feeling nervous. Maybe she should have just…But no, she couldn’t.

“Nick, I’m really sorry” She whispered to him. He turned away from her and she flinched gently, his actions as cruel as if he had slapped her in the face.

“Whatever” He growled and he walked away. She watched the outline of him walk down the hall until he went into his room and left her alone in the darkness of the silent house.


	9. Silence

They stayed a week in the community. They raided different houses, for food and other supplies. They changed their clothes, found new shoes that would be better suited for a longer journey. They had talked some about where they might go but there was no direct path, only that they thought going south might be a good idea. It would be warmer. They had talked about turning North again though, as in the winter, the Lurkers might freeze. It would make for a small season of safety.

Rebecca had to remind them that humans were just as dangerous as the walking dead though. 

So south they went. Their backpacks filled with food and several canteens filled with water they had found bottled in the community, they traveled on. The walk made them all tired, but they tried to keep cheerful. Kat had to try a little harder. Nick wasn’t talking to her much and while she was sure the others noticed, none of them said anything. She knew Linda was watching curiously, but she didn’t talk to Kat about it at least.

She wished she had done something even slightly different with Nick. She wished she had…done what? Messed up their entire relationship? He was a good friend, he had saved her, he helped to protect Elizabeth. She couldn’t compromise the group. No matter what. She had to think of the future. Not of her own…what? Wants? Desires? What was it that she was feeling?

It kind of scared her that she honestly didn’t know.

But she supposed that sooner or later she’d be force to face the truth.

It kind of hurt that Nick was holding a grudge. It had only been…it had only been a kiss. Besides, she didn’t need him fawning over her. She had a child to care for. She didn’t have time for…Oh hell, she didn’t know anymore. The world was fucked up. She had no idea anymore. And she was pretty pissed at Nick for messing with her head.

This world was already hard enough to live in. She didn’t need to be doubting the few truths she knew about it.

They kept up their pattern, walk for a little over twenty four hours, rest a night, keep moving. They kept their direction Southish, but they all knew they needed to find a place to stay and rest for a while. Especially with Rebecca being pregnant. She wasn’t showing yet, but in another week or so… And what would they do when the baby was born?

“This place looks like it has promise” They were deep in the woods, most of the paths overgrown, but there was a cabin. It was sitting all by itself in the woods. It looked like it was two floors and empty. There had been few Lurkers in the woods about them and though the men had to take care of a few of them, it had not been anything they couldn’t handle.  Pete had been the one to say the place looked promising.

They approached it carefully, putting Rebecca, Elizabeth and Sarah in the middle of their huddle. They entered it carefully and found it…abandoned. It looked like it hadn’t been touched since before the First Days.

“It’s a luxury hunting cabin” Pete stated as they looked around. There wasn’t even a Lurker within. That was good. It was nice. They locked the two downstairs doors and began combing the place over. Kat could hear Pete and Luke talking about the place in the kitchen from the living room. “I’ll bet that there’s a river that’s good for fishing nearby”

“Do you think we could get so lucky?” Luke asked.

“There are fishing poles in the living room. I saw ‘em. I’ll take a walk later and see if I can’t find the creek. Boy, you can come with me”  
  
“Why?” It was Nick’s voice that snapped back. 

“Nick, go with your Uncle!” Linda called from the living room. She caught Kat’s eye and then rolled her eyes. “That boy sometimes. I swear” Kat gave her a sympatric smile. “Just wait until Elizabeth gets older, you’ll get what I mean”

They found food in the house and it – surprisingly – still had running water. It had plenty of tools and supplies. Rebecca wasn’t feeling well and that wasn’t surprising. It was time to take a long break Carlos said. She needed to rest. Maybe soon they’d be good to move again. Pete declared the place should be safe, if anything it was pretty easily defendable.

Everyone was busy trying to get things settled. Kat was making dinner, Elizabeth following her around, helping where she could. Nick, Alvin, and Pete had gone to go fishing. Luke was making sure that the house was entirely secure. Carlos was with Sarah, but she wasn’t sure where. Maybe upstairs. She knew that there were enough bedrooms here that Elizabeth and Sarah would get their own room. They were excited. She hoped they didn’t treat this like a sleepover.

But…maybe it would be better if they did. A little more normal for them. They were still just kids…

“Let me help” Linda’s voice startled her and she jumped, turning towards her. Elizabeth smiled at her. Elizabeth really liked Linda, sometimes Linda would tell her stories about the world Before. Elizabeth still remembered, but Kat knew it was hard for her.

“Sure” She said simply.

“Hey, Eliza, honey. Sarah is upstairs and her dad found an old board game. Why don’t you see if you can’t go upstairs and join in?” Elizabeth hesitated.

“But mommy…”

“Its okay, baby” Kat could sense Linda wanted to say something. “If you wanna go play you can” She hesitated a long moment and then eventually walked out of the room, heading towards the stairs. The door to the kitchen swung shut behind her.

As soon as Elizabeth was gone, Linda picked up a towel, folded it and put it on the counter.

“I talked to Nick about why you two weren’t talking” She started and Kat took in a deep breath. Nick was an adult, Linda shouldn’t be getting involved. “He’s young yet and the world he knew is gone and…I think he’s just…”

Kat turned to look at her, a little surprised at the way the conversation was going. She expected that Linda would tell her that whatever was going on between them could be worked out. Something motherly and passive aggressive. Instead, Linda just sounded sad.

“The other woman, back at Howe’s were all taken or older or they were loyal to Carver.” Linda gave her a small smile. “The world ended and he just thought…”

“That there weren’t many men to choose from and he’d be a good choice?” She finished for her. She shook her head. “I don’t want to use Nick like that. He’s a good man. He’s saved me and my daughter.”

“I told him that – about your daughter. I tried to explain to him that you’re gonna have to protect her before anything else. He just told me he’d work harder to make sure you both were safe” She shook her head with a sigh. “He’s young…he thinks he’s untouchable, you know…like he can’t be killed” Her smile was sad.

Kat just closed her eyes and sighed heavily, leaning back against the counter. Nick was a good man, a stubborn man. She knew that Linda wanted her to talk to him but privacy was hard to come by here. It wasn’t something she wanted to talk about with other people were around.

“Mama!” Elizabeth came running back into the kitchen. “They’re coming back and they’ve all got fish!”

Kat glanced at Linda before turning to her daughter. “Well then you’re going to learn how to clean a fish, Eli”

She made a face. “That sounds gross”

“Well it’s going to be a little messy” She laughed at her daughter’s face. She looked up at Kat, her face still sour.

“Can’t I go back upstairs and play with Sarah?” She was clearly desperate for escape and Kat gave in. She practically ran out of the room. Kat and Linda both laughed.

“I’ll talk to him” She finally said when their laughter had subsided.

“Thank you.” Linda seemed relieved. “I really like you, Kat and I know my boy really does too. He’s got a bit of a pride but I think you two can work past this”

“You’re acting like we’re already something” Kat gave her a sharp look. Linda just smiled.

“Like I said, Nick really likes you” Kat would have liked to say something else but the men came in with their fish and it was time to get cleaning them. They were going to cook all of them so the meat would keep longer. Pete knew how to dry them so they’d have some food for the road or…for however long they were planning on staying in the cabin.

That was a bit of a sore issue for them. How long could they stay here? As they worked to prepare the fish, Pete kept saying how few Lurkers there seemed to be in the woods. The place seemed secluded and safe. Kat could tell the others were already settling here, even if just a little bit. They wanted a place to be comfortable, to be safe.

Kat knew the feeling, but she still felt jumpy and exposed here.

Dinner was a quiet affair but afterwards, after Sarah and Elizabeth were back upstairs, everyone else gathered in the kitchen, sitting or standing around the table. They had decisions to make. A lot of them. Kat glanced at Nick but he avoided her eyes. She had to talk to him after this. She had find a way to patch their relationship. He was a good guy and she didn’t want to lose his friendship over some nicked pride.

“We have to think of Rebecca and the baby’s health” Carlos said, right off the bat. “She’s getting to a rough patch in her pregnancy and if wait it out, we’ll be able to move again in a month or two, should we see the need. We should really be looking for a place to stay until the baby comes though. Secluded and away from as many Lurkers as we can manage.”

They could all understand that. Childbirth was not a quiet or easy affair. There would be blood and it would attract Lurkers.

“We’ll stay here” Pete suggested. “And if things look grim, we’ll move on. If the area is still safe when its her time, we’ll stay here. Maybe a few months after too” It went without saying a newborn child would not be a good idea to have out in the world. After three or four months they could probably keep moving.

“Where would we go after?” Rebecca asked. Alvin’s hand was on her shoulder. Her hand was on his, gripping it for comfort.

Kat bit at her lip as they all discussed where they might go after and finally she spoke up. “I know a place that’ll be relatively safe” Everyone’s eyes were on her and she felt her face flush slightly. She cleared her throat and went on. “I know a few places. There might be some Lurkers there, but it shouldn’t be hard to clear out”

“It’d be safe to raise our child?” Alvin asked. She could hear the hope in his voice.

“No where is safe” Luke answered for her. “But we’ll make it as safe as we can”

“It’s down South more, an old farm. If we’re lucky, the crops will still be intact and if we’re not, we can get them going again. Get a food source so we don’t have to scavenge as much” She could see Pete, Linda, Luke and Nick all seemed to agree with that. “The house is pretty big, but there’s a whole other apartment upstairs. We could destroy the stairs and use ladders or something to get upstairs.”

“You sound like you know this place well” Rebecca stated.

“I used to live in the area. I knew all the houses pretty well” She saw Nick looking at her but when she tried to catch his eye, he lowered his gaze. She tried to stay calm, but she wanted to get mad. She wanted to be frustrated with him. She held it in though and tried to just let it go. They would fix this. Somehow.

“We can hammer out more details later” Pete finally said with a sigh. “We should all get some sleep and we’ll figure it out later”

They took another moment to figure out watches before all separating and getting ready for bed. Kat checked on Elizabeth and Sarah to find them chatting excitedly in bed. She bid them to just be quiet before she walked quietly towards the room that she and Linda were sharing. Rebecca and Alvin had their own room. Carlos and Pete were sharing and so were Nick and Luke. It was kind of nice that each room only had two people instead of three or four. It made it almost appear as if they all had some sort of privacy.

When she entered her room, she found Nick and Linda talking. Not strange, since Linda was his mother. His blue eyes were guarded when he met her eyes. At least he would meet her eyes though. She smiled, just a little. Linda looked at them and then quickly made her excuse and left.

“She said she talked to you” Nick’s voice was guarded too.

“I just…Nick, you’re a good friend and just because it’s the end of the world, it doesn’t mean I’m the only woman you’re gonna find. There are plenty out there yet I’m sure. Some of them might even be alive” She tried to tack the joke on at the end, get him to smile, but he just leaned against the wall and adjusted his hat on his head.

“It’s not about that, Kat. You’re…you’re different. I like you. I don’t know what exactly it is, but I just…I just do” He looked at her, as if hoping she would understand. “I mean, that night I wasn’t thinkin’ of Elizabeth. I shoulda been, you’re a mother and there’s no way a lady like you would ever look at a guy like me if we weren’t in our current situation”

“Now that ain’t true” Kat snapped at him. “You’re a handsome man, Luke. And you’re kind and…you’re a good friend. I just worry…”

He stepped a little closer to her and she looked up at him. His fingers touched her cheek, sliding across her skin. His hands were warm and calloused, but not overly rough. They felt good. She wanted to reach out and touch his skin in return, but she placed her hand on his arm, warning him from going further. Understanding touched his eyes.

“You’re a good man, Luke. I like you, a lot”

“It’ll be enough for now, I suppose.”

“If nothing changes…maybe…” She didn’t want to give him false hope, but she did like him. He was a good man. She was still half-convinced any attraction he might have for her was because she was an available woman…but maybe not.

He smiled though. “Good” He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and turned to leave the room. He seemed downright cheerful now. She sighed, seeing Linda lurking outside as Nick left the room. Mothers.

But she was happy that she and Nick had worked something out…even if it were only temporary. Who knew what the future would hold? Maybe it was the beginning of something good. She had to hope it was. She couldn’t believe the future could be so dark.


	10. Fear

The path to the creek seemed pretty clear. She still gripped the gun tightly in her hands. She still stepped carefully so not to make much noise when she walked. The sneakers she was wearing were a little uncomfortable yet. She had found them in a house back at the gated community, in a box, brand new after so long. Even with all the walking she had already done in them, she felt the chafing just a little bit.

“Don’t be so jumpy!” Pete said, looking back at her. “I’ve already been up here a couple times. The woods, as far as I can tell, are pretty clear.”

“But they wander” She said simply. His face grew grim.

“They do”

It was just the two of them. They were walking up to the creek to dredge up the nets that Pete and Luke had put down the day before. The fish seemed plentiful in these parts and they were lucky for that. Kat hated cleaning fish though so she had volunteered to go and get them, hoping to get out of the task of skinning them, at least for tonight. They walked in silence a little longer, then Pete stopped and she did too.

“I heard Linda talked to you about Nick” She didn’t say anything. “I told her to mind her own damn business with that. If you rejected the boy, he was just going to have to get the hell over it”

“I talked to Nick too” She said simply.

“Do you want me to talk to him? You have a child and…you don’t need any man’s attention if you don’t want it.” He began walking again and she followed.

“I don’t mind Nick. He’s a good guy. Elizabeth likes him too”

“But what I’m saying is, you’re alone with her” She didn’t get what he was saying and waited for him to go on. “Your…Your husband? Boyfriend? …What I’m gettin’ at is Elizabeth’s father isn’t around and I don’t want to assume that he died in the First Days but usually…”

“That’s the case” She sighed heavily. Assuming got people nowhere and she thought that Pete would be smarter than that. “I don’t know what happened to her father. We were divorced and separated over a year before the First Days. We didn’t even live in the same state”

“I’m sorry” He said simply. They were silent for another few minutes. “Look, Nick doesn’t know how to be a father. Nick’s father was…well he was a real piece of shit. I always told Linda I didn’t like him but then…Well the man was never really around anyway. I tried to be someone for him to look up to, but being an Uncle and being a Father are two hugely different things”

“He might mature” She didn’t know why she wanted to defend Nick but she did.

“I don’t know. That kid has his head up his ass more than not. He’s a good shot, but he gets so damn jumpy” Pete rubbed the back of his head. “I try to be a little harsh on him, teach him how to be a man…”

“Maybe he needs to learn how to be a man on his own. He’s not you Pete. He’s not going to take to the same lessons that you did” Pete stopped and looked at her, a small smile on his face.

“You’re right. Maybe you and your girl will do something for that boy” She smiled at him, feeling a little better about the whole Nick thing already. She would have to talk to him again…see what he felt was the right thing to do. And Elizabeth…they would have to talk to Elizabeth. It was nothing official yet, but she couldn’t just put someone into her life like this without talking to her daughter.

Suddenly, she saw movement in the woods behind Pete. She hadn’t seen it because of the trees and hadn’t heard it shuffling because of their talk. She lifted her gun, taking a step back. “Pete!”

Pete turned, seeing the shambling creature that had once been a man. He smashed it in the face with his gun and stomped on its head once it was down. It smashed underneath his heavy boot with a sickening crunch. She would have liked it to be over right then and there, but she could see three…no four figures emerging from the trees.

“Now there aren’t many, don’t panic!” Pete instructed her. She took a deep breath and held steady. He was right. There were four of them and that was nothing compared to two, smart, well-armed adults. She lifted her gun and she aimed for the closest one. “Wait” Pete instructed. “We might attract more. A quiet kill is a smart one.”

He moved quick, drawing a machete from his belt. With a quick cut he had nearly severed the head of the first zombie and a second slash had it off. She stomped on the head, to make sure it was dead. Pete checked his swing and came down on the head of the next zombie. Kat moved her gun to her back and drew a hunting knife from her belt. It was six inches long and made of stainless steel. It was a good knife, Pete had actually given it to her.

She grabbed the next zombie, spinning it around, throwing it to the ground. She cut the back of its neck, severing the cortex to the brain, killing it. She spun, still on the ground and kicked the legs out from the last zombie as it reached for her. Pete smashed its skull with his boot.

He reached down and helped her back to her feet. She felt her heart hammering in her chest, she felt a little shaky after that.

“You okay?” Pete asked. She nodded, not trusting her voice. She had killed plenty of zombies, but she had never really done much close combat with them. Not unless she had to. She had to agree with Pete though, it had been smarter to kill them silently.

“Yeah…” She sighed, brushing a few strands of her hair from her face. Pete nodded and rubbed his hand across his head and then down his face.

“Good. Let’s get to the creek and back”

They got moving, hurrying to the creek, eyes and ears open, When they got there, there saw a few on the other side. The creek was running low in some spots…so it was likely they could cross if provoked. The two of them hesitated and then Pete motioned to the nets. Two of them. They were submerged and would need to be dredged up.

That would make noise. It would attract their attention.

“Okay, you’re probably not strong enough to haul them both up quickly enough” Pete said in a low voice. She nodded, agreeing with him. She could probably lift them up, but not quickly enough. He motioned towards the closest one and she nodded. “Watch my back. I’m going to drag it up, hand it to you and then we run to the next one”

“Got it”

And they hurried towards the first one. She saw heads turning already. Pete grabbed the edge of the first net and dragged it towards them. The few fish trapped within began to panic. Kat quickly moved her gun to her back and helped drag the small net up. As the water drained out of it, it felt lighter and soon she was hoisting it on her back and she and Pete were running towards the second. It was only a few feet away but Kat could see the Lurkers moving towards them. They were beginning to splash through the water.

But they were dead and clumsy, awkwardly straining towards the two. The first fell in the water, face down and two more tripped behind it. She began to help Pete with the second net. There were even fewer fish in this one. They pulled it above the surface and the Lurkers began pushing themselves to their feet.

“Let’s go” Pete ordered, moving the second net to his back. The two of them sprinted towards the path. It was hard going, even with so few fish in the nets, they were heavy. The two sprinted anyway, wanting to lose the trail of the Lurkers before they got too near the house.

After a mile or so they slowed to a walk and Pete let out a deep breath, still keeping his pace brisk. Kat kept up with him, though her feet were aching.

“In a few minutes, we’ll run the rest of the way” She just agreed. She wanted to get to the house and lock the door. She was sure she had a dozen new blisters just from this short trip. It was only about three miles from the cabin to where they had placed the nets, but she knew that they could run that distance.

Before the outbreak, she hadn’t been what one would call in shape. Now she knew she could keep up a jog for quite a while, three or four miles, before she began to feel honestly tired. She supposed it was survival of the fittest. Those that grew strong and fit and could outrun Lurkers, at least temporarily, lived.

“What should we do about the Lurkers following us?” She asked him.

“We’re in the woods and from what I’ve seen, there are plenty of animals here. They’ll run into one I’m sure and be distracted” Pete assured her. She gave him a worried look and he gave her a small smile. “Even if they reach the cabin, there aren’t that many. We can take them on easily. We’ve survived this long”

She grew silent and when they had caught their breath they hurried off towards the cabin. They reached it before long and as they approached the door, it was flung open. They both skidded to a stop in the kitchen. Kat’s face was flushed and she could feel a fine film of sweat on her skin.

“Are you being followed?” Asked Carlos. He peeked out the open door but closed it after a moment.

“Not that we know of. We ran into some Lurkers by the creek, but we out ran them easily enough” Pete told him. Linda came into the room, followed by Luke and Nick. When she saw that both of them were safe she smiled. She took the net from Kat and looked into it.

“Not much…looks about six or seven each. This will feed us a few days at least.” She took the nets to the counters so she could begin preparing the fish. “Girls! Get down here! Pete and Kat brought some fish back!”

Kat, Nick and Luke began to head out of the kitchen as Sarah and Elizabeth came charging in. “Hey baby” She bent down and gave her daughter a quick kiss on the head before letting her go to help out Linda. She took off her jacket which was a bit soggy from having the wet net against it. It was a jean jacket she had found here in the cabin. It was warm to wear, since it was nearly summer now, but any sort of protection was nice.

She hung it on the back of the couch and took a seat near it. Nick sat next to her. Luke gave Nick a look and shook his head before sitting on a nearby chair. He sighed and rubbed his hand across his face.

“So what happened?” He asked.

“We ran into some Lurkers. That’s it. None got anywhere close to us, but Pete wanted to get well ahead of them to be on the safe side” She said simply. “We killed a couple before we got there too. It seems there might be some moving through the woods”

“Then this place isn’t safe either. Dammit” His eyes were dark at that moment. She knew that he was worried about Rebecca and the baby. Giving birth was going to be a messy affair. There would be blood and without proper medication, it would be painful. It would attract Lurkers and if there already a lot of them nearby…

“No place is safe anymore, Luke” It was Nick who spoke up. “We know that. We just got to do the best we can”

“This place isn’t easily defendable. There are too many windows and…” Luke snapped at him.

“Luke…” Kat cut in before they could fight. “If we all work together, we can figure something out. We can make this place secure” She told him. “Rebecca will need a safe place to give birth and then rest for a week or two after. She’s not even halfway through her pregnancy yet, we have time” She was getting towards the half-way mark though and her stomach was beginning to swell as the baby began to drop.

“You’re right. We can do this” Luke took a deep breath. “It’s just a lot you know?”

“We’re all in this together” She assured him. He smiled and she looked at Nick who sighed himself and leaned back in his seat. “So, we should start-”

She began to speak again but was cut off by the crack of a gunshot, followed by a scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't publish last week. Alot happened and I just couldn't get to it. I will begin publishing every Monday as usual again c:


	11. Holding On

The gunshot was followed by a scream. Kat turned towards the door. She still had her gun on her and she was the first on her feet, the first to the door. Nick grabbed her and held her back.

“Someone is out there!” She struggled out of his grip.

“We gotta do this smart” Luke reminded her. He had a gun already and Nick had a pistol on his hip. The others were hurrying into the living room, having heard it all. Their eyes were dark and worried. “Nick, Kat and I will check it out. Everyone else wait here”

Pete started to make objections but there was another scream, louder, by a different voice followed by someone yelling “ _ Nooo” _

“We have to go! Now!” And then the three of them were flying out the door, pounding down the steps and out into the woods. They ran in the direction of the last sound when another shot echoed.  Another shout, another yell. Kat pushed herself faster.

“Wait!” She heard Luke quip at her but she kept going. Someone was in trouble – someone needed help! If it were her, she'd hope someone would hurry. A clearing broke and she skidded to a stop.

What she found was nothing short of a massacre.

There were only seven or eight zombies, but it had been four survivors, three of which were already being devoured. The last had managed her way up into a tree and was sobbing, her gun clicking and empty. There was nothing left. She was just waiting for death.

Kat lifted her gun and shot, hitting the first Walker in the head. Two of them turned towards her, fresh meat, a living person. She used the butt of her gun to knock the first down but the second grabbed onto her arm. She screamed sure she was going to get bit but suddenly Nick was there and the Walker was down, its head smashed to bit.

She didn’t have time to dwell as she was onto the next one, knowing that if there as any hesitation in her steps, she could die.  The three of them worked together and soon the Walkers were all dead. Their attention turned to the woman in the tree. She was still sobbing, clinging to the tree.

“You’re safe now” Luke called up to her. “Hurry, before more come! We have a safe place you can stay”

Nick and Luke coaxed her down, as if she were a startled animal. When she got to the ground, Kat saw it. The bite mark on her arm. It was bleeding heavily, her skin flayed the teeth from the Walker that bit her, and she was still sobbing, clutching her bad arm. Kat took a sharp breath.

“Shes bit” She said.

Luke saw mark and his mouth set. “Yeah, I know, but we can save her”

“Once they’re bit, they’ll turn” Kat argued, she began to lift her gun. “We gotta put her down”

“No please, no, no” The woman was sobbing, struggling to get away from Luke.  “Please, please….”

“We’re not going to hurt you” Luke assured her. “What’s your name?”

“We  _ have _ to put her down!” Kat snapped. “Bringing her back to the group will only put them all in danger”

“We can save her!” Luke snapped back. “We have a doctor. He can save her.”

“Please…Please, just take me to see your doctor” The woman was begging. “Please, I want to live. I want to live. I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything!”

“Its alright, its alright. We’re going to save you. We’re going to make sure you make it through this alright” Luke was assuring her and Kat wrinkled her nose, disgusted. Luke looked up at her and his expression darkened. “Hey, you wanted to come out here and save these people. Now let’s at lets save one of them. She bit but she ain’t dead. She’s coming with us back to the group. We’re gonna let Carlos look at her”

“You’re making a mistake, Luke” Kat told him. She glanced at Nick but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. She felt her face flush with annoyance. “Fine. Bring her back, but keep her the hell away from my daughter”

Then she turned and hurried back the way they had come. She heard the other two behind her, talking to the woman in soft voices. She felt so angry – why would they put their group in this kind of danger? What was the sense in that? It was bad enough that Bill was trying to hunt them down and now…

She reached the cabin first where everyone waited anxiously. Seeing her without Luke and Nick send everyone into a panic and it was all she could do to assure them that the other two were coming and that she needed to speak to Elizabeth. She managed to get her daughter out of the room just as Luke and Nick were coming in. They went into the kitchen to speak because she meant it; her daughter would not be around that woman, under any circumstance.

“Listen baby” She started, kneeling down to Elizabeth’s level. “They’re bringing a woman in here and you are not to go anywhere near her. Do you hear me? Do not go near her.”

“But-“ she started

“No, Elizabeth. Stay in the kitchen for a moment” Kat turned on her heel and went to the door, peeking out. Luke and Nick took her to the couch and Carlos began looking at her. She was still sobbing, clearly confused and in pain. Perhaps she was relieved. Perhaps she thought she’d live.

Kat shook her head, turning back to Elizabeth.

“Stay away from her. She’s dangerous.”

“It is because she's a stranger?” Elizabeth asked, innocently enough. Kat considered lying but…The truth of this world was painful and her young daughter was not ignorant to what happened when someone got bit.

“No baby, she got bit.” Elizabeth looked like she had tasted something sour when Kat said that.

“Is she gonna die?”

“Yeah”

“Then come back?”

“Yeah. That’s why you gotta stay away from her.”

“But Sarah’s dad is a doctor…maybe…”

“No.” Kat said it a little more harshly than should have. “That’s not how this works, baby girl.” She knelt down in front of her. “I just wanna keep you safe, Eli. But you gotta be smart and you gotta listen to me when I tell you to do something. So please,  _ please _ stay away from her.” 

“Okay mommy. I will” 

“Promise?”

“Promise”

Kat felt relieved. She was happy her daughter was going to listen to her, but still frightened. She would have to be on constant alert. How long would it take her to die and reanimate? Depending on the bite, it could take a while. It was on her arm so how long did this woman have? Kat couldn’t know so until she died, Kat would just have to be on guard. While she disliked their decision, Kat wouldn’t let the others be harmed by the woman. 

She heard the kitchen door open and it was Linda and Nick. She sighed, putting a hand on Eli’s shoulder as she stood. Whatever they had to say to her, whatever excuses they had, they could say it in front of Eli. So Eli could understand why these people would put her in danger.

“Kat, I know you’re upset-” Linda started.

“Upset is an understatement, Linda. This is putting the entire group in jeopardy.” She couldn’t help but cut the other woman off. She was upset, she was scared.

“Just because she got bit, don’t mean she’ll turn” Nick cut in.

“She will turn, because that’s what happens” Kat was trying to keep her temper in check.

“You sound just like Carver” Kat didn’t know what to say when he said that. “Remember when he killed Benny? Did you think that was right?”

“Not how he did it, no-”

“Then how is it right just to kill Anne?”   


“We knew Benny, we don’t know this woman”

“Anne! Her name is Anne!” Snapped Nick. He was red in the face and she could tell he was angry. But dammit, she was angry too!

“Who gives a fuck what her name is? She’s going to die, she’s going to turn and she’s going to kill someone! Why is this so hard for you to see?”

“We can save her! We have a doctor!”

“What in the hell are you two shouting for?” Pete burst into the room. Kat took a step back to realize that she and Nick had been nearly toe to toe, shouting at each other. She took a deep breath and looked at Elizabeth, who was watching her with wide eyes.

“Nothin’...Sorry for shoutin’” Katherine brushed her hair out of her eyes. She moved back to stand by Elizabeth. 

“Nothing? You’re suggesting we kill an innocent woman and its  _ nothing _ ” Nick grimaced and shook his head. 

She swallowed hard, trying to keep from saying that this woman was far from innocent. She was going to be dead soon. She was going to be one of those things soon. She was far from innocent. She was a loaded gun, pointed at all of them, just waiting to kill them all.

“I know Kat disagrees with what you’ve done; hell, I disagree with it. We don’t know this woman, she could be dangerous. I say we treat her and show ‘er the door” Pete shook his head, crossing his arms. Nick glared at him. “Don’t you look at me like that boy, I oughta smack some sense into you”

“Don’t you dare, Peter. Nick is a kind young man who just wants to help this woman. Why can’t you both see that?”

Pete and Kat exchanged glances. They both knew that they weren’t getting anywhere. So, they both chose to give up on it. Kat shrugged and Pete just shook his head again.  Helping someone was well and good; where it was deserved. This woman was just waiting to turn into a Walker.

“C’mon, baby girl” Kat took Elizabeth’s hand and led her out of the room. Pete followed but Linda and Nick did not. They stepped outside, which felt...safer to her. It was weird, she no longer felt safe in the house. She wanted to leave. She wanted to never look back. 

“This ain’t good, Pete” She looked at his lined face, her own eyes hard.

“You think I don’t know that? They’re more concerned with keepin’ their humanity. It doesn’t mean much if we’re dead”

“I’m all for helping people; but I want to help people who are going to survive. People who aren’t about to turn and threaten my own safety” Pete crossed his arms and glanced back towards the house as she said that. She sighed. “Nicks got a good heart at least...But it makes me worry”

Now Pete looked at her again, a frown on his lips. “You don’t owe him anything”

“I owe him alot. He’s saved me and my daughter” Pete looked like he wanted to argue but he didn’t. Instead he just turned and went back inside. Kat bit at her lip, feeling her heart pound in her chest. Elizabeth leaned against her and she put an arm around her daughter. This wasn’t going to end well. 

But when did anything end well anymore?

**Author's Note:**

> I saw there were no Nick/OC stories. What a crime! So here's one. Now I do enjoy building up to the romance, so it may take a while for it to get there. Also tags may change over time. I'm bad with such things.


End file.
